Dumbfounded
by SongsAboutJustice
Summary: Rachel thinks she has a great plan, with Mr Schue enlisted to help she feels as though she can accomplish it. Little does she know that others have a plan of their own. A club wide project brings former enemies together, closer than they both anticipated.
1. Chapter 1

Shortly after Glee practice:

"BERRY!"

Rachel jumps as she hears the commanding voice and the slam of a locker to her right. She doesn't have to look, she knows the voice all to well, but she can't seem to stay away. The brown haired girl glances to her right in time to see her addressee come to a halt right in front of her.

"Quinn, what can I do for—" she is cut off by the blonde haired cheerleader's hand in her face.

"Save it, man hands. Here is the deal, and you listen up well. You march your short statured self into Mr. Schuester's office right now and demand, in the greatest diva fit you have ever thrown, that he makes things right." Quinn is seething.

"And what exactly do you mean, makes things right?" Rachel air quotes the final words.

"You did not seriously just air quote me," she shakes her head, "you know exactly what I mean. This assignment is ridiculous. I should be paired with Sam, and you with that oaf that you picked up as my left over's." The cheerleader is now hovering over the smaller girl, with all the confidence possible in her cheerios uniform which is pressed perfectly and form fitting.

"It must flatter you greatly to think that I didn't already think of that, but here is the thing, I did. I gave it my best, and he won't budge." The brunette's confidence seems to waver, and it does not go unnoticed.

"What are you trying to get out of this?" Quinn questions and it takes Rachel by surprised. She isn't sure what she could mean by that.

"Mr. Schuester said that we need to learn about each other so we can find ourselves." She gracefully avoids the _you_ in Quinn's previous question.

The blonde is now laughing softly, in an evil tone, and shaking her head. She takes a step back and breathes out the words in a growl of sorts, "ten weeks, Berry. Ten weeks that he has paired us up." The smaller girl looks at the floor.

"I'm well aware of the assignment, Quinn." As the sarcastic words slip from Rachel's mouth she hears a bang on the lockers and her head immediately shoot up.

"Don't play that with me, I am not in the mood, you got it?" The blonde shakes her hand as it stings up to her elbow. "We will continue this discussion tomorrow. In the mean time, try to figure out how to get us out of this."

Like clock work the cheerleader turns to find her football player boyfriend, Sam, walking up to her. She closing the distance between them, takes his hand in her non-hurt one, and walks away.

Rachel is stunned, in complete and total shock of the rage that just was displayed in front of her. It takes her own boyfriend coming up behind her to realize that she's been simply standing in the hallway.

"You okay?" The tall boy asks quietly.

Rachel turns to her locker, grabs her books, and looks up to him with a smile on her face, "yes, of course, I'm fine." She hands him the books, which he gladly takes, and they begin to walk back to the chorus room.

"Can you believe I have to sing a duet with a dude?" A clueless Finn Hudson asks as Rachel laughs at her boyfriend.

Earlier in the day:

"Mr. Schuester, I have a proposal for you." Rachel says as she enters his Spanish classroom and approaches his desk. He looks up from his papers and smiles, " before you assume this is for a solo or something of the sort, let me tell you, I'd like to work with Quinn Fabray."

The young teacher begins to choke on his spit and goes into a swirl of coughing. Shocked, the student approaches him and pats him on the back. Once he is finally composed he tries to understand, "You want to work with Quinn on what?"

"I was thinking perhaps a duet." She says matter of fact.

"Alright, ask her and we'll set something up." He looks back to the papers, as though he actually believes that would work.

"Mr. Schue, you and I both know that that will not work. So I have the following plan…" Rachel begins to recount a plan to the teacher that leaves him smiling and dumb founded.

"So let me get this straight," he begins slowly, "you feel as though Quinn has untapped potential that you would like to help release. All the while, you'd like to try and become friends with the girl because she has no true friends and neither do you? Pardon my rephrase."

The student smiles and nods as if this plan should have been around all along.

"As wonderful as that sounds, Rachel, I don't think I can force anyone to be friends to work on an assignment." He puts his best concerned teacher voice in place.

"Oh no, that will all be me. I think, perhaps, we could have it be a class wide project. It would give Finn a chance to pair up with Sam and benefit from a friendship there as well. You see, as we all know, Sam is new and all he does is follow Quinn around like a puppy dog. Finn's best friend impregnated his last girlfriend, so you can see that that is clearly an outstanding friendship. I'm just concerned about the overall appearance and feeling of the club, Mr. Schuester. We are a team and we need to start behaving like—" Rachel is mid rant when he interrupts her.

"Okay," is all he says with a nod.

"Okay?" She asks with her mouth hanging agape.

"I see that you have thought this over, and despite my better judgment, you seem as though you are doing this for the entire club. Our morale has been down since the start of the year, and since were only a few weeks in, this would be a good time to put this plan into place." He explains to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. I always knew we could be a good team if we needed to be." She begins to turn around to leave the classroom when he speaks up.

"I hope you understand that I will be taking this plan very serious." He says with a stern command.

She turns and simple smiles, "I would expect nothing less."

"And this will be the last time that we discuss, from here on you know nothing of the sort, are we understood?" He asks the star student.

"Understood and appreciated." And with that she leaves the room with triumph on her breath.

Glee club later in the day:

"… Sam and Finn, which leaves Rachel and Quinn." Mr. Schuester finishes up his list of duet partners and braces himself for the backlash it surely will create. Like he anticipated the uproar of twelve voices fills the room. Each person complaining about their assigned partner, hateful glances are being thrown around from left to right. "Now you guys, everyone calm down."

Rachel continues to speak, "this is ludicrous." She flashes him a knowing smile, which he shakes his head and continues. She is left perplexed.

"This will be a ten week assignment."

"WHAT!" Rachel Berry's shriek could be heard around the world, it is assumed. She nervously laughs, "Mr. Schue, I'm sure your judgment on this assignment is in good spirits, but ten weeks seems a little long, _don't you think?_" She says the final three words slowly and full of meaning.

"The decision is final. As I'm sure that you are all reeling now, I'm going to dismiss meetings for the day and I will see you all tomorrow." Without another word or warning he exits the room hastily.

The entire club sits dumbfounded.

The next day:

Rachel couldn't understand what had happened. She had surely told Mr. Schuester that she thought of it as a week assignment, maybe two at best. Just something to get the team a little flustered, and make some framework to friendships. But ten weeks? Ten weeks, that's about three months. That is into Christmas and Hanukah and the holidays. It was the only thing on her mind all night, even when Finn had called her to tell her goodnight.

She was back in the hallway now, ready for the new day, and trying to clear the thought of spending all her time with Quinn Fabray until New Years out of her head. This would have been easily done had the cheerleader not appeared at her locker the first thing in the morning.

Rachel, of course, did not realize this being deep in thought. She closed her locker door to find a calm Quinn Fabray standing on the other side of the door. The brunette jumped and dropped her books.

"Surely I'm not that scary, Berry." Quinn said as she bent over and picked up the other girl's books, who stood there dumb founded by the blonde's collected behavior.

"Th-thank you." Rachel cursed at herself under her breath for showing her weakness of a stutter.

"It's no problem, really. Look, I wanted to apologize for yesterday." The cheerleader flashed her famous smile.

"Apologize? You're kidding me, right?" She questioned and then had a realization; she began to look in all the directions possible frantically.

"Um, yeah. What are you doing exactly?" The blonde haired girl quirked an eyebrow at the brunette and asked

"Well, I thought maybe you were setting me up for a slushie facial." She suddenly felt silly and dipped her head.

"I don't set those up, actually, I just laugh." Quinn giggled.

"Gee, thanks." Rachel was growing increasingly annoyed. She grabbed her books and slammed the locker shut. "Save your apology," she growled out and stomped away, surprising even herself with the bitterness in her voice.

It was Quinn's turn to stand dumb founded. She shook it off and walked off to her first class.

"Mind telling me what you were doing talking to that dwarf this morning?" Santana, her best friend and second in command, asks in their shared second period class of math.

"Well, she's my partner in that stupid assignment Schuester set us up with." She puts the emphasis on stupid hoping to get her friend off of her back.

"So what? You gonna be come friends with the mutt?" Santana laughed as if it wasn't possible.

"Well, it is a long time to hate someone's guts. I imagine the ten weeks will go by much more smoother if we're civil." The head cheerleader concluded confidently.

"You're joking right? You can't honestly want to become friends with that mutant." Santana was now leaning towards the blonde and looking at her like she had ten heads.

"Cool it with the names, alright? I don't know, San. I'm tired of being a bitch all the time; I don't know how you do it. It's exhausting."

"It's a gift, and I take that as a compliment." She grinned evilly, "look, I don't like Berry but I'll back off until you figure out what this little project of yours is about. Don't be stupid though."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" The blonde asked slowly as if she knew she wouldn't like the answer.

"She gets stomped on by everyone, don't get her hopes up for nothing." The tanned cheerleader spoke up before her friend could question, "it's not like I care about the runt. It's just that either you treat her like the dirt she is, or you become her friend. With that girl there is no in between, don't you remember how attached she got to Finn?"

Of course Quinn remembered. Finn was her boyfriend at the time, and she hated Rachel Berry for that reason. She was everywhere, every mistake she made, and Rachel was there to comfort Finn. Then there was the pregnancy, of course Finn wasn't the father, and it just ran him straight into the arms of the Glee club super star.

"I got it, okay? I just had a lot of time to think this summer. I don't want to go back to what everything was before." The blonde suddenly looked immensely sad and knew she had to get her emotions in check. She was the head cheerleader after all, no the pregnant emotional loser she was last year.

"Alright, Q. You've got it," is all her friend said and let the subject die.

"Here is how it works. The first two weeks should be spent getting to know one another. Then the next two should be spent doing separate solos for one another, this will give you a chance to express yourself to each other in song." Mr. Schuester heard Noah Puckerman make a gagging sound, "save it, Puckerman. From there you will have two weeks to prepare two duets, then the final four will be spent picking one out of the two, and then performing it for the class the week we get back from winter break."

Everyone in the classroom spent his or her time groaning and writing down each weekly assignment given.

"Okay, class. Break up into your pairs. Actually, how about this set up. Finn and Sam: you head to the locker room, Santana and Mercedes: you take the lunch room, Kurt and Puck: you can have my Spanish class room, Artie and Mike: you can have the choir room, Tina and Brittany: head out to the hall way, and lastly, Quinn and Rachel, the auditorium is all yours." Mr. Schuester smiled as the students began to walk to their respective locations.

"Just enough room to fit all of that ego and diva," was heard muttered from Mercedes as she left the classroom.

Although she had been hearing a comment like that for a very long time, it still stung Rachel a little. She sat there a little saddened and stared at the black board. It read the word UNDERSTANDING in all caps.

"Don't let her get to you, her bite isn't as bad as her bark," Quinn trailed off and then laughed, "or whatever that expression is."

The brunette snapped out of her trance and stood, "I don't." She said and got up to leave for the auditorium.

"Slow your roll, Berry." The cheerleader said as she rushed to catch up with her leaving the room.

Rachel slowed down considerably and looked at the blonde, "um, okay."

The two then walked in silence into the auditorium. Quinn opened the door for a surprised Rachel and the two entered the massive hall.

The door slammed shut behind them and echoed into the empty space. It seemed like an awful lot of room for just two girls. Quinn walked away leaving Rachel to her own thoughts and sat down at the piano. She lifted the cover off of the keys and began to lightly press the keys. She was humming the tune to the song and nodding her head.

"She spent her childhood somewhere deep in Missouri, grew up faster than heart." The sound of the blonde's sweet voice began to fill the empty space. The auditorium went from being free and open to packed with the sounds of a voice and a piano. "Mom said 'you're a child of God.' she said, 'but Mom, I'm in such a hurry.' It might be California maybe New York."

Rachel couldn't believe what she was witnessing. She'd never seen anything like it, even when she was dating someone who could perform with such conviction as the well-seasoned performer Jessie St James. Rachel thought how strange it looked to her. Quinn always seemed so big to her, her personality more than anything. But in the moment all she could see was this vulnerable girl sitting at a giant black piano in her red cheerleading uniform. The colors danced off of one another in a stunning way.

The brunette took a step forward and continued to listen. "Cause you know we're all young at heart, you've taught me so much, and brought me so far. I know you'll understand, I know you've felt like me before, cause you know we're all young at heart." Rachel listened intently at the words being sung and couldn't help but feel like maybe the young girl was reaching out to her. She sang with such conviction. "It went from love to worst with a child due in December." Was she reaching out? Wasn't the solo supposed to be after two weeks? Rachel dismissed her anal schedule following tendencies and listened again to the blonde in front of her, as she inched closer and closer.

"I thought I needed you, now I need so much more. I thought I found the truth, now it seems like it's still so far. Sold my heart for the perfect drug, it was the worst, coming down from love…" The blonde's voice cracked in a beautiful but heart wrenching way as she began more and more engrossed in the song. The piano was her pen and the words were flowing out. "We're all young at heart, you've taught me so much, and brought me so far. I know you'll understand, I know you've felt like me before, cause you know we're all young…"

The cheerleader let the notes hang in the air around them. Rachel was now standing behind her and put a single hand on the piano player's shoulder. The blonde let out a large sigh, and felt a single tear escape down her cheek. She then reached up and put her hand on top of Rachel's. The brunette was so surprised that she retracted her hand almost, and immediately felt bad. She sat down next to the blonde at the piano bench.

"That was really beautiful, Quinn." She spoke softly.

"You think so?" The blonde barely spoke over a whisper.

"I'm positive of it. I wasn't aware that you played piano so beautifully." Rachel said and looked at the other girl.

"There is a lot you don't know." She breathed out, returning the diva's glance, then she stood up and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel sat still for several moments recalling what just had happened. The soft voice of the troubled cheerleader was still clouding her senses. _Troubled? Was that what Quinn was? _Rachel thought. She couldn't pin point how she even got to this point, and then she remembered the project. Everyone was split up across the campus, so Quinn couldn't go to too many places. Rachel got up and sprinted towards the door of the auditorium when she stumbled over something, or someone. Feet from the door the blonde sat on the stairs with her head in her hands. Rachel went crashing into her. Luckily Quinn managed to catch her and avoid any major injuries.

"Woah there, speedy." Was all the blonde softly spoke as she held onto Rachel with all of the stopping force she could muster.

"Quinn, oh my goodness, I certainly did not see you there." The brunette quickly stood up, the contact was tingling. She then awkwardly stood in front of the other girl. She took the blonde's appearance in. She had her hair down and framing her face. Her tendrils were accenting the blonde hair as it laid on the red uniform. It was something Rachel had never seen before, with the cheerios uniform she always had her hair in a ponytail. The moment suddenly felt extremely vulnerable.

"It's fine, really." They stayed like that for a few moments until the silence was unbearable for the cheerleader, she cleared her throat, "will you sit or something? You're just standing there; it's starting to remind me of Finn. I think you're spending too much time with him." She took a deep breath and sighed as Rachel sat down next to her. "That wasn't very nice, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? That wasn't very _nice_?" She said the final word like it was a foreign concept. "Excuse me, but what is going on? Is this some joke to you?"

"Did that, in there," the blonde pointed to the piano, "seem like a joke to you?" She fired back at the brunette with her own question.

"Well – err – no, I suppose not." Rachel was beginning to get lost in the idea of what had taken place moments ago at the piano.

The silence, again, becoming too much, Quinn spoke up and tried to explain herself at least a little. "I moved back into my mother's house this summer – "

"Oh yes, I knew this." Rachel interrupted.

"Can you just not?" she paused, trying to regain her composure and not come across as mean or vindictive. "Rachel, I'm trying to talk to you, okay? So just let me get it all out, will you?"

The blonde yet again dumbfounded the brunette. _Rachel? Did she just call me Rachel? What even._ Her thoughts were going a mile a minute but she silenced them to listen with a nod.

"So I moved back in, and I spent the summer trying to figure a few things out. You know, you don't get pregnant in high school and just shrug it off afterwards. Or I guess maybe some people do, but I couldn't. So many things happened in those nine months, you don't realize how fast and short it can feel…" She paused, sensing her rambling, "I sound like you; anyway, the point is that I was alone a lot. I began to think about all of the things that have happened over the course of not just last year, but high school in general." Quinn looked down nervously and began to fiddle with the hem of her cheerios skirt. She couldn't dare steal a glance at Rachel if she wanted to get this out. "My thoughts—" she stumbled, "my thoughts kept gravitating back to you, for some odd reason. I would get so displeased with myself, and so I'd have to take my mind off of it."

"Uh – I'm sorry?" Rachel offered unsurely.

"No, no. Let me finish, remember?" The brunette nodded and Quinn continued. "So I started playing the piano again. I had taken lessons when I was younger, but abandoned it for various other things," she looked down at her uniform, "like cheerios for example." She took a deep breath and looked up at Rachel. Their eyes immediately locked. "Then I couldn't escape that. The music. I would play and everything just felt like it was in its rightful places for the first time in what seemed like my whole life. I was losing myself in the music." Rachel smiled, her eyes never leaving Quinn's; she knew this feeling all too well. "So naturally my thoughts would gravitate back to you, yet again. I mean music kind of belongs to you, right?"

"Although that is flattering, I wouldn't say it belongs to me." Rachel spoke up.

"Well, in my world, music belongs to you." The confession caught both of them off guard. In what world did Quinn Fabray think of Rachel Berry anyway?

"So I heard through my mom, who is blissfully unaware of anything that happens in my life, that 'Oh, Quinny, your glee friend, the one with the nice voice. Yes, Rachel Berry, she is singing at the 4th of July Lima Festival.'" Rachel had to giggle as Quinn changed her voice to mock her mothers. "So I went."

"I didn't see you there." Rachel was now searching every memory she had of that day, trying to remember seeing the blonde there.

"I wasn't up much for talking to anyone, or making my presence known. You're kind of looked down upon still just a few months after you give birth and give the child up for adoption." At the mention of Beth, Quinn fell silent for a moment. She seemed deep in pensive thought. "But anyway, you were really wonderful."

"Quinn, it was just the national anthem." The singer giggled.

"You could make the alphabet sound gorgeous." The compliment slipped out and the panic in the blonde's eyes was apparent.

Rachel couldn't help but smile and blush immensely. "Why thank you." She spoke so softly; anyone outside of their little bubble wouldn't be able to hear.

"You're very welcome." Quinn matched her volume and tone.

Just then the door to the auditorium opened. Both girls turned to see Mr. Schuester standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face. "Um, ladies, times about up. You can either meet up in the choir room or go your own way. I'll see both of you tomorrow." Without any questions or hesitation he turned around and exited.

The door slammed shut and echoed through the open space. Quinn was the first to stand. She began to gather her hair up into a tight ponytail, as it was expected of her. She wiped her face of anyway tears that may have betrayed her and took a deep breath. Rachel stayed seated and kept her eyes trained on the cheerleader. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, had she just not realized it? All of the poise and regal behavior. She carried herself with dignity and grace, not cockiness. Just then, as though to pull her out of her thoughts, Quinn looked down at her. Their eyes met again and it was the same feeling as before. Something exciting and inviting was held in their gaze.

The blonde reached out a hand. "You going to get up or…"

"Right, yes. Absolutely." Rachel giggled nervously and accepted the hand. She found herself pulled up within inches of the blonde. "Thank you," she breathed out.

"It's my pleasure." And with that Quinn walked up the stairs and out of the auditorium.

Once the door slammed shut and echoed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Rachel spoke out loud as if to address someone that wasn't there, "what even was that?"


	3. Chapter 3

Quick authors note: I hope y'all are enjoying this. I'm enjoying writing it. I'd really love some feedback and reviews, questions and comments, etc. :) You're all the best. Enjoy!

From that Tuesday on the rest of the week was unlike any week she'd had in high school thus far. Mr. Schuester made it so that partners worked together every other day. The other days were spent working on various group or solo numbers. But that isn't what was so strange to her, she hadn't noticed it at first, but she had gone a whole week without being slushied. It was early Friday morning when she saw the same dry clothes she put in her locker on Monday sitting there untouched.

It had to be Quinn. She couldn't go as far as to say that her and cheerleader had become friends, but they were making progress. There were a harsh nicknames said to her, "Ru Paul" or "Man hands" or whatever their favorite was, but she couldn't handle that from everyone else. Once or twice in the hallway Quinn would even smile at her if their eyes met, but they never talked outside of Glee. As long as the cheerleader wasn't picking on her it was a vast improvement.

The day before, when they met during Glee to work on their project, they found that it wasn't as smooth as it had been the last time. They awkwardly talked about their days (Rachel complaining about Finn's dopiness and Quinn complaining about Coach Sylvester's outrageous demands during practices.) And ended up sitting in silence for a great deal of the time they were together.

But today was Friday, and Rachel wouldn't have to worry about it anything. Finn and her had a date planned for Saturday night, and the rest of the weekend would be spent in the pleasantly calm Berry household. The week had her barely sleeping and constantly over thinking everything that had been happening during the week. She loved to get to school early on Friday's to practice in the choir room before anyone even dared to approach the school.

"Berry," the brunette was pulled out of her thoughts at her locker when she heard the voice of the person who had been invading her thoughts so much lately.

"Good morning, Quinn." Rachel continued with what she was doing in her locker, which now was assessing what books she needed for her first three classes.

"Could we talk?" The blonde asked quietly.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" She giggled and closed her locker door. It wasn't until she looked at Quinn and saw the pleading in her eyes. "Um, yeah sure."

The blonde turned on her heels and headed towards the choir room. Rachel followed in toe. Once in the room, with the door shut, the blonde took a seat at the piano. She softly started to pay "Imagine" and the sound filled the room. The brunette started to softly sing along as she approached the piano. Standing at the other end of the piano she had her eyes trained on the cheerleader. They were in their own little world it seemed, and then Quinn stopped.

She looked up and spoke softly, "I was thinking we could maybe do something tonight?" Her voice was unsure and waved.

This question, however, elicited the biggest smile Rachel Berry had worn in a very long time. "Quinn, as wonderful as that seems, I have to question it a bit."

The blonde looked down at the keys. She light began to play something Rachel did not recognize. She kept playing for what seemed like eternity to the diva. "I used to be really intimidated by you." Rachel chocked an eyebrow at this. "I know, I probably didn't show that very well. But the bullying, the harsh words and everything, I just was scared. I've spent so much of my life as this scared little girl trapped in this life I can't control." The confession was coming out softly, so much so that Rachel began to move closer to Quinn so she could hear her clearly, as she kept playing the piano lightly. "This summer I decided I wasn't going to have any regrets this year. I decided I wanted to get to know you, and to see you for you."

"That seems very sweet, Quinn, but why now?" The brunette interrupted.

The blonde stopped playing the piano and looked up at Rachel smiling, "because I finally got the guts," she said this with such certainty that it made the brunette laugh.

"Quinn," she shook her head.

"Yes?" The blonde began to play the piano again.

"Would you like to come over tonight?"

"Wait a second! I asked you, you can't just turn it back on me." The blonde huffed with frustration.

"Sure I can," she said as she sauntered over to the blonde. She bent over and said lightly in her ear, "Because I'm Rachel Berry. And you have a soft spot for me." With all the confidence she could muster she quickly exited the room to her locker.

Rachel leaned up against the locker and let a breath out that she didn't realize she was holding in. _What the hell was that?_ She thought. Shaking her head she turned around and began to rummage through the contents of her locker. Blissfully off in her own thoughts, it was fairly early still and the hallways were deathly quiet. That's when she heard the stomping of feet nearing her.

"Morning, dwarf." She looked up to see a giant football player approaching her with a slushie in full range of backwards motion ready to slam onto her face. Rachel knew it was too good to be true, this week. She braced herself, closing her eyes and holding her breath, but nothing came. No sharp icy blast, and no up roar of laughter. Rachel poked one eye open to see that the slushie was now over the oaf's own self. Standing next to her was a furious head cheerleader.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" The blonde spit out the statement as she moved in front of Rachel. "I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out of my face, go clean yourself up and try to find a brain in that oversized head of yours, got it?"

The football player stood dumbfounded in front of the blonde. He slowly wiped his face of the cups contents and towered over Quinn. "Did she stutter, dumb ass?" The football player turned his head to see Santana Lopez standing just behind him.

"Uh, well," was all he could muster.

"I didn't think so. You pull this shit again and it'll be worse than Fabray dumping the slushie on you instead of treasu—Berry, here." The Latino cheerleader stumbled over the new name but stood with her chest puffed out and hands on her hips.

Rachel glanced between the two cheerleaders and found them standing in the same position. _This must be a Cheerios thing_ she noted mentally. As her internal memos were being written the football player slugged off and Santana rushed over to Quinn, pulling her aside.

"So this is it then? We're defending her now?" Santana asked forcefully.

"Look, San, I know I told you I'd keep you posted on all of this… But I just, I saw it happening and I couldn't let it happen to her again. Not again, not now." The blonde began to ramble.

"Wow, Q, just chill. Don't ramble like Berry, or else I'll have to question agreeing to anything." They both laughed, "now go talk to her. I think she is in shock." And with that she walked away with a sway in her hips.

Santana was right, Rachel stood there in shock in front of her locker. She was still tense from waiting for the slushie facial. Quinn walked over and rested her hand on singer's lower back. All tension left the brunette's body immediately at her touch.

"Rach," her voice was just above a whisper and it was very soothing to the shocked girl. "Rach, are you okay?"

The brunette looked over, "does this make us friends?"

Quinn could do nothing but smile and shake her head at the singer. She bumped her hip against Rachel's and looked into her locker. "So, which books do you need?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, just these two," she said as she grabbed two. The blonde immediately took them from her hands and closed Rachel's locker.

"Cool, now let's go to mine, okay?" And with that the blonde walked away to hers. Rachel followed behind fast.

They were friends now. Friends who apparently walked each other to class, Rachel had never had anyone but her boyfriends walk her to class. It was a nice change of pace, having a friend. They held small talk as students began to fill the hallway. They received a few intrigued looks from the other students, but no one dared to cross the head cheerleader, especially with a best friend like Santana Lopez. By the time they reached Rachel's first period word had spread about what happened with the slushie that morning, everyone knew that Rachel Berry was officially off limits. No one understood it, but they agreed. This was high school after all, and there were rules to follow.

Rules that Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray strictly enforced.

The bell rang for first period.

"Well, there is the bell," Quinn noted.

"You better get going, as much as I love your company, I'd hate to make you tardy to first period. That could vastly affect our project if you were to, say, get after school detention and have to miss Glee—"

"I got it, Rach," The blonde interrupted.

"Rach," the owner of the new nickname said lightly.

"That's you. Well, I'll see you later, okay? Have a nice morning." The cheerleader turned on her heels and began to walk away.

"Quinn?" She called after her.

She turned half way to peer at the brunette, "yes ma'am?"

_Yes ma'am? Now that is cute. _ Rachel thought. "Thank you." She added sweetly with a smile.

Quinn stopped, looked down, and rushed over to the diva. Pulling her aside a bit she placed her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Look, I'm not going to let anything happen to you anymore. I'm sorry for everything. All the years of pain and cruelty I've put you through, it isn't fair. As long as you're mine, my friend I mean," she corrected herself with wide eyes, "then I'll be there."

The late bell rang.

"You're late," Rachel said.

"So are you," was Quinn's retort as she looked at the teacher closing the open door next to them. "She'll only be a minute, I'm sorry, it's an emergency. I hope you can understand!" The blonde pleaded with sweetness to her voice that Rachel had never heard before, and flashed a million watt smile.

"Oh, of course. Take your time ladies," the young male teacher nodded and closed the door.

"Now, how do you do _that_?" Rachel asked.

"Years of practice," the cheerleader shrugged. "You aren't the only one who knows how to get what they want." She winked and gave the brunette's shoulder a squeeze before dropping her arm.

"You really have to get going, Quinn."

"I really have to get going, Rachel."

With a move that surprised them both, the shorter girl pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. The blonde could only simply giggle and squeeze her in tight.

"Don't break my trust, okay?" Rachel was never good at hiding her honesty, but she felt good with Quinn. She was excited about this in a way she'd never felt before. She didn't want to lose this.

"I wouldn't dare." Quinn pulled them apart, "now," turned the singer around, "to," and pushed her lightly towards the door, "class!" By the time Rachel had time to look around Quinn was sprinting towards her own class, insanely late.

The diva sat through all of first period with a giant grin on her face.

Rachel Berry wouldn't be messed with, _as long as you're mine_, played over and over in her head. No one messed with anything that was Quinn Fabray's.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for all the reviews. The story is getting quite a few views and this makes me feel great. I'll keep going as long as you guys are enjoying it. Again, reviews are always welcomed.

Quinn sat at the breakfast bar in the Berry household. She sighed and continued to stir her hot cocoa. The smell of Rachel was filling her senses and she felt overwhelmed. Clad in a pair of the brunette's sweat pants and tshirt, it wasn't a big surprise that she could smell the small diva all around her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" this question lifted her out of her thoughts and she turned to look at the doorway.

"I'm not sure they are worth that, Rach," she said and went back to stirring her drink.

The brunette crossed the kitchen and stood dangerously close behind the other girl, peering over her shoulder, "big fan of cocoa?"

"Basically, I mean it's warm and comforting." The blonde answered.

"Never pegged you as the kind who needs comforting," Rachel put her hand on Quinn's shoulder. "What's going on?"

Earlier:

Mr. Schuester canceled Glee practice, stating that he was having a family emergency he needed to deal with. This was great for all of the kids who wanted to get out early on a Friday, but she still had Cheerios practice. It wasn't until it started pouring down rain during 4th period that Quinn began to get a glimmer of hope. Rain never stopped Sue Sylvester, but the monsoon that had continued all the way until the end of the day did.

Quinn could not get her things together and get out of that school faster. She raced out into the parking lot; books over her head to protect her perfectly curled ponytail, and jumped into her car. She reached into her bag and grabbed her keys, starting up her car. As she sat there, she looked out the window and gasped at what she saw. A stunned Rachel Berry sat on the curb in front of the school.

It was pouring down rain, thundering, and lightening. _What is she thinking?_ Quinn thought. _I've got to be losing my mind._

The cheerleader turned off her car, opened the door, and sprinted across the parking lot to the smaller girl. She stood there in front of her and the brunette didn't even look up at her.

"RACHEL BERRY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Quinn yelled over the thunder booming all around them and the sound of the rain pounding on the pavement.

Rachel looked up, squinting through the rain at the blonde, and then looked back down at the ground.

"No, don't play with me here. I am standing in the rain, getting drenched, so either you answer me, or I'm picking your ass up and _carrying_ you to the car. From there, I plan to drop you on your head, because what more damage could really happen at this point?" Her patience was wearing thin.

"Why do you care?" The question wasn't biting, it wasn't mean, just simply a question.

"That's it," with those simple words the blonde threw her hands up in the air exasperated, bent over, and scooped the smaller girl up in her arms, throwing her over her shoulder. Rachel squealed and kicked all the way to the car.

"Quinn Fabray, you put me down right this instant! QUINN! Put me down." Each word was more and more of a whine. They arrived to the car and Quinn finally put Rachel down, and opened the passenger side door.

"Get in now." Each word was muttered slow and with force. The brunette opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the cold glare being given to her from the other girl. She silently got into the car and closed the door.

The cheerleader ran to the other side of the car and climbed back into her drivers seat. She immediately started the car and cranked the heat. Only the sound of the rain on the windshield, the motor running smoothly, and Rachel's rattling teeth filled the car. After a few moments Quinn glanced to her right to see the brunette shivering. She reached into her back seat and grabbed a towel, leaned over and wrapped it around the girl in the passenger's seat. They shared a simple smile and sat in silence. From there Quinn put the car in reverse, pulling out of the parking spot, and drove them to Rachel's house.

"What's going on with _me_?" Quinn questioned, being careful to keep her biting tone to herself, "mind telling me what that was back there?"

"I, I, I just—"

"You just what?" Quinn turned around and faced the brunette, affectively throwing Rachel's hand off of her shoulder. "You could have gotten sick. It was pouring down rain! Not to mention the thunder and lightening. Are you that thick headed or do you not care?" All of this was still taking place outside; they could hear the sound of it through the house's walls.

"Why do you care?"

"This again, really?" She was starting to get more and more frustrated.

"Tell me it is that unreasonable of a question. You have done a complete 360 in a less than a week. Quinn, do you recall when Mr. Schuester assigned us the project? You came up and punched the lockers, screamed at me, and called me man hands."

"You know, it wasn't quite in that order," the blonde shook her head, "but you're right. I'm sorry."

"Now you've spent days trying to convince me that over the summer you decided you wanted to take pity on me," Rachel was now in full on rant mode, "so excuse me if I don't feel completely convinced that you want to be my very best friend—"

"I don't take pity on you, you're Rachel Berry. Who could take pity on you?" The blonde spit the words out.

The brunette stood stunned with her mouth hanging out.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant, damn it," she shook her head, "I'm already messing this up!" She turned around and put her head down on the table. Lightly banging her forehead on the ceramic counter. "I just mean that you are so amazing, why would someone pity you? Aspire to be like you? Maybe. Crush on you? Maybe. Be jealous? Maybe." Quinn was muttering this now. It was when she lifted her head to bang it on the counter again that she came in contact with a soft hand.

"Finn and I broke up."

Quinn's head shot up with a wild look in her eyes. "You say what now?"

"Finn and I broke up. Well, more precisely, I broke up with him." The brunette said simply.

"Is that why you were in the rain?"

"Um, kind of? I don't know. I just needed to think and feel." Rachel sat down in the chair next to the cheerleader. "He slept with Santana, and lied to me about when I was with Jessie. And before you can say anything, I know you knew. Everyone knew. Everyone let me look like a fool."

"You don't look like a fool, he does." They were now facing each other intently.

"How so? He strung me along. Everyone knows how lame I am, this just further proves it." Rachel looked down for a moment and then returned her gaze with Quinn.

"You are _not_ lame, nor do you look like a fool. He looks like a fool for letting you get away. Sex means nothing to Santana unless it's with Brittany, so he ruined the best thing he could have ever had for something that meant nothing to the other person." The blonde was ready to snap her ex-boyfriend's neck.

"You mean it?"

"Oh yeah, Santana couldn't care less about Finn." The cheerleader chuckled.

"Quinn…"

"Yes, Berry. I meant it. I mean every thing I'm saying to you from here on out. No more wasted time, I told you that." She placed her hand softly on Rachel's hand on the counter.

"Why were you so mean the other day?" The question startled Quinn as she felt like she was making progress.

"It's Sam. He's driving me crazy." She sighed.

"That's it? That boy follows you around like a puppy!" Rachel was now laughing.

"Stop laughing at me, okay? That's the problem. I never get any space." The blonde started to chuckle along with the other girl. "We got these new projects and he was already in my ear about fixing it. He couldn't do it without me, or whatever. I didn't feel like listening to him. I took it out on you, and I apologize. It was inappropriate of me."

"I've never known Quinn Fabray to be one who could get pushed around…"

"Pushed around? Listen up, no one pushes me around." The blonde spit back.

"Woah, calm down, okay? I was just joking." She shriveled in size hearing the bitch tone come out of Quinn with such ease.

"Let's just get off of the topic, I apologized." Quinn looked down and sighed, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, next time try and use a little nicer of a tone. If we plan on beginning such of a robust thing as friendship after years of being enemies then perhaps we need to take a step back and consider our actions. That is practically what Mr. Schue told us to do, isn't it? I'm fine though." Rachel's monologue ended and they sat in silence.

"I meant about you and Finn…" The cheerleader giggled.

"Oh." She laughed as well. "Rambling could be one thing I could work on, couldn't it?"

"I don't know it's kind of cute." Quinn smiled, "well, if you want to talk about it, you can talk to me. If not, if you just need a shoulder, I'm here for that too." She took a sip of her cocoa, "Do you want to watch a movie or something? I think my butt is falling asleep on these stools."

"I keep telling Daddy we need to get cushions for them, but he never listens. He likes the way the wood matches the trimming and the dinner table. I told him I didn't think a simple cushion would really deter people from seeing the matching wood, as the legs are the same wood as well…" Her last few words fell short as she had a revelation of sorts. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?"

The cheerleader simply nodded and tried to stifle her giggle.

"Right then," Rachel stood up, grabbing Quinn's hand, "right this way."

The contact, though simple, shocked them both in a way that scared them both. It was soft, simple, but perfect. The cheerleader glanced down at their hands, and Rachel felt self-conscience. When the diva went to pull away the blonde held on.

"Lead the way." Quinn stood up with the cocoa and followed Rachel into the living room.

The houseguest placed her mug down on a coaster on the coffee table and sat on the edge of the couch. She glanced next to the TV to see Rachel crouched down peering into the DVDs. "Need some help?" She offered. Her concentration was very adorable to Quinn.

"What would you like to watch?" The voice bounced off the DVDs.

"How about a musical?" Quinn suggested.

Rachel gasped, jumped up a bit, hit her head on the shelf, and stumbled backwards. The blonde rushed over and helped her sit up some, sitting behind her.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked while lightly grazing the offending bruise on the brunette's forehead, using her fingers to comb the brunette's bangs out of her face.

"Yes, I believe so." The words came out as a whisper as Rachel realized the close proximity of the two girls. The pit of her stomach began to do somersaults and she unknowingly held her breath.

"Let me get a look that," Quinn moved to kneel in front of her and glanced at her forehead. "Just looks like it is going to bruise a bit. You will probably get a bit of a headache."

Rachel was still off into her own world taking in Quinn's appearance and scent. The girl was so graceful and beautiful. She had known this for as long as she could remember, but because she chalked it up to jealousy. Now she was unsure what she was feeling exactly, but she liked it.

"What startled you anyway?" The question woke the diva from her musing.

"You, you said you wanted to watch a musical." The words stumbled out.

The only thing audible in the living room was the head cheerleader's booming laugh. She clutched her sides and then slowed herself, "seriously? That is what got you? Oh, jeez. That's funny."

Rachel looked at Quinn like she had ten heads.

"I appreciate the occasional musical!" She defended herself.

"I guess there is a lot I don't know about you, Quinn Fabray."

"Exactly. That is what I've been trying to tell you! Now, I pick…" She turned her head and scanned the DVDs. "I pick Rent!" She said excitedly.

She then grabbed the movie, turned around, and put it in the DVD player. "Let's do this!" Quinn said as she kissed the brunette on her bruised head, pulled her up to her feet, and then dashed off to sit on the couch.

Rachel wasn't sure if she was light headed from hitting her head, getting up so fast, or Quinn kissing her forehead.

She was scared because she was fairly sure knew the answer.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I love all the enthusiasm and positive reviews. Sorry this one took so long. Hopefully I can continue with the things y'all are so happy with. I've gotten a lot of comments on Quinn's sweetness; I wanted to this address this. While watching Glee I feel as though Quinn's attitude is really skin deep and superficial. Yeah, she's the hbic, but deep down she has a lot of kindness in her. You saw a lot of that between her and Mercedes, and then when she helped out Rachel in the beginning of season 2 with Finn for that one scene. I hope no one thinks it's too completely off base; I try to stay semi-true to her attitude that is present on the show as well.

Well, that was a speech and a half. Keep tuned for plot progression. A lot of the things you guys point out come back around later too. Enjoy!

The wind beat on Quinn's face intensely as she jogged down the sidewalk. The cheerleader liked to jog, it was a good way to think and clear her mind. She needed to get some perspective that was for sure. Friday had been a weird night for the girl. She had had fun with Rachel Berry. Fun with Rachel Berry. Sure, she had spent the whole summer thinking of how she wanted to right all the wrongs, but she wasn't sure how it would work. It seemed as though the two didn't have much in common, but now she felt as though she was grossly mistaken.

Friday evening:

The room was dark; they had turned down the lights. The only thing illuminating the room was the glow of Rent on the plasma TV in front of them. Quinn and Rachel both sitting up straight on the couch, awkwardly glancing every so often, it had been like this so far as the movie played. The first surprise came during the song "Light My Candle." Quinn softly started singing along.

The brunette could not believe it! Quinn Fabray knew the words to Rent! She was calming sitting there singing Mimi's part. Rachel glanced over at the blonde and smiled. She shot back a goofy grin and continued singing. The diva knew she couldn't be out done on a musical by cheerio, so she started singing Roger's part.

They playfully started singing the parts back and forth at each other, to the point where they were full on performing it. The song came to an end and they both sat silently on the couch.

"You know, that was kind of fun." Quinn was the first to speak.

"Granted, I prefer the Mimi part, I have to admit that it was quite enjoyable." Rachel giggled.

"Man, do you know what Santana would do if she were here right now?" The blonde thought out loud.

"Make out with Brittany? Yell at me? Call you out on knowing the words to Rent?"

"All of those are plausible, yeah," the blonde sunk into the couch.

"You know if you don't want to tell people that you were here…"

Quinn raised her hand and cut the diva off, "that's silly. We're friends now right?"

"Um, yes?" She answered with a question tone.

"Well, that is reassuring." The blonde groaned.

"No, I want to be. Or is that yes? Yes! I want to be!"

"I got it, Rach," with those simple words the cheerleader slowly slumped over to be closer to the diva. Their bodies still pressed against each other, Quinn laid her head on Rachel's shoulder and put her legs up on the arm of the couch.

"Uh-Qui-" The brunette stuttered, feeling nervous at the sudden close proximity of her _friend._

"Shhh, this is one of my favorite songs." Quinn looked up at Rachel and smiled.

Quinn began to run faster. She reached to her armband and turned the volume up on her iPod. The cheerleader knew that it was insane to run on the weekends; Coach Sylvester already pushed her to her limit most days of the week. Her Sunday jog had become a routine for her post pregnancy. She was sure of coming back to school fit and ready to regain her title as head cheerleader. Now it was something she did to just take her mind off of her whole world, or to figure out what was going on in it.

_I'm in disarray, I'm unkempt / And I love ya, sugar / Yeah this is what you do / When you run your fingers through my hair_

Her iPod started blaring and it brought her back again.

The girls were sitting on the couch after the movie had ended. They had fallen into a comfortable position. At some point during the end of the film Rachel had begun to hear sniffles from the other girl. She repositioned herself to look at the blonde; silent tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Quinn?" She whispered.

The tear-stained girl shook her head, "no, it's my favorite part." She then laid herself down on the couch, with her head on Rachel's lap. She could feel the cheerleader quiver and she had never seen this side of her before. She was so vulnerable. The last time Rachel had seen her this was when the blonde was pregnant, and everyone chalked that up to hormones. The brunette could feel a pull in her chest. Why did it hurt her so much to hear Quinn cry so much? The cheerleader had made Rachel cry numerous times over the years. But this, this hurt to hear and feel.

Without asking permission, without an awkward conversation, Rachel started running her fingers through Quinn's ponytail. She was taken aback by how soft it was. She had always thought it would be, Quinn had flawless hair. Every time she had ever see it down she noticed how it effortlessly fell in perfect ways. Just then Rachel was pulled from her thoughts when the blonde sat up.

The diva immediately panicked, she had messed up. She'd stepped over boundaries, or crossed lines, or whatever stupid expression it was. Quinn turned and saw the panic in the brunette's eyes and smiled. A confused Rachel smiled back and tilted her head to the side. The blonde, in one movement, pulled her ponytail out and shook her blonde tresses over her shoulders.

Rachel was fairly sure she was going to pass out. The smell of the blonde's shampoo it her senses like a train. It was lavender. Lavender instantly became her new favorite smell. While still stunned by the smell, Quinn laid back down. The brunette sat still in her seat. The other girl turned her face up to look at Rachel; she was off in another world. Quinn proceeded to take Rachel's hand and hold it in her own. This got the girl's attention. The moment was intense, and the air around them was thick. Neither could believe how comfortable it felt though. The brunette broke their gaze and put her attention back to the TV, while running her fingers through the blonde locks.

The film ended and they continued to sit like that for a while. Neither said a word, just sitting in their comfortable silence.

Quinn pulled from her thoughts as she tripped on a root and went tumbling to the ground. She sat with her head in her hands. The music continued to bump in her ears.

_I'm un-perfect, so un-me, but I love ya, sugar. / See, this is what you do, you get my ponytail, beside my bangs / you're laughable, I don't mind cause, I think it's kinda super cool._

The girls continued to lie like that until her dads came in through the front door. The house was dark, so when her fathers flipped on the light both girls jumped up startled.

"Daddy, Dad. Um, Hi. Is it six already? Wow, yeah, it is." Rachel glanced at the clock on the wall as she nervously rambled on, her parents looked on at the scene. Her Daddy, Peter, smiled at his rambling daughter; her Dad, Randy, however kept his eyes trained on the struggling blonde who fidgeted every few seconds: running her fingers through her hair, or straightening her Cheerios costume.

"Hi, honey." Peter began when Randy interrupted.

"I wasn't aware that you would be having company…" His eyes continued to size the blonde up.

"Right, yeah, I should probably be going," Quinn said and abruptly stood up, smoothing out her uniform. "Thanks for the movie, and everything." She looked at Rachel and smiled.

"No!" She attempted to calm herself from sounding so needy, "You don't have to go."

"I don't want to intrude."

Randy nodded, and Peter rolled his eyes at his husband. "Nonsense, please, stay."

"Oh, I don't—" The girl was feeling increasingly awkward.

"Quinn, please?" The brunette looked her in the eyes, tugging at her hand.

"Okay, Rach," was all Quinn could muster before being pulled back down onto the couch, feeling defeated.

"Well, your dad and I are going to get changed out of these monkey suits, and then we can talk about dinner." Peter smiled; he was a tall African American man in his 40s. He grabbed the hand of a reluctant Randy, whose short stature and balding brown hair still managed to intimidate Quinn.

After both men had disappeared Quinn finally let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She took in her surroundings and realized how close she was to Rachel.

"You okay?" The brunette asked and started to giggle.

"Your father wasn't exactly into it." Quinn looked down at her feet.

"He's probably just nervous, okay?"

"He looked mad to me…" Just then the girls heard Rachel's father passionately discussing things in not so hushed tones. "Yeah, I should leave."

Quinn got up, grabbed her backpack, and headed towards the door, but Rachel was fast to follow. The blonde turned the handle to the door, but felt it immediately be shut. She turned around to be inches away from Rachel. They stood there for a moment.

"You don't have to go," the diva spoke quietly.

"I should though, it's getting late. My mother probably is curious as to where I am anyway." Quinn was lying; they both knew that was a lie.

"But we were having a nice time," she looked down, "or at least I thought we were…" The brunette suddenly felt self-conscious.

The taller girl brought her index finger up to pick up the shorter girl's chin. "We were, weren't we?"

Rachel smiled brighter and bigger than she had ever seen before.

"You're really beautiful, do you know that?" After the words left Quinn's mouth she knew she was in trouble.

"What?" The _beautiful_ brunette stood in front of the other girl dumbfounded.

"Goodnight, Rachel," with those words Quinn leaned in, kissed Rachel on the cheek, turned around, and walked out of the door.

Quinn got to her feet and began to run. She was running way faster than she had been before.

_ Cause I want you to know that you got your name on my heart. / You're wicked bad, I like the way that you do it, baby._

She ran faster and faster. She was running in a direction that was predetermined in her mind. Quinn wasn't thinking about it, she was just doing it. The sweat was now collecting on her forehead. Her heart was beating fast, and she kept pushing herself harder. That's when she came to a screeching halt in front of her destination.

Rachel Berry's house.

The blonde shook out her nerves, tightened her ponytail, and ran up the front steps. She immediately knocked on the door. When the door swung open at 7:50am on this Sunday morning it was Peter who answered, tightening his tie.

"Quinn? Are you alright?" He asked as he took in the sight in front of him.

Quinn was hunched over, her hands on her knees, knees bent, and she was breathing heavily. She realized she couldn't hear because her ear buds were still blaring music. "I'm sorry?" she said as she took them out of her ears.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, before she could answer the door flew open even wider.

"Quinn…" Rachel said slowly.

"Rach," the blonde managed to push out in between deep inhale and exhales as she craned her neck up to see the girl.

"Honey, I'm going to go finished getting ready for church, your Dad needs help tying his tie." He kissed his daughter on the forehead and walked away.

The brunette smiled and stepped forward, out onto the porch, closing the door behind her. They stood there for moments, and then Rachel turned around and disappeared back inside. She returned moments later with a bottle of water for the out of breath girl.

As Quinn guzzled down the water Rachel said, "thirsty huh?" The blonde nodded in agreement. "Did you run here?" Another nod. "Why?"

"I run every Sunday," her breath was finally catching up.

"Okay, but…"

"I wanted to see you."

"That is surprising," Rachel said with a hurtful tone.

"And why's that?"

"Because I didn't hear from you at all yesterday."

"I know, I'm sorry, Rachel."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Not a call, not a text, not an anything. You walked out in a moment on Friday…"

"Okay, I got it, okay? I just needed to think. You make me feel funny. Not to mention I had Cheerios practice pretty much all day, then I came home and basically passed out."

"Funny?" Rachel asked and sat down on the stairs, patting the spot next to her for Quinn to join.

"Yeah, but it's a good funny," the blonde sat down and pulled up her shirt to wipe her face of anything remaining sweat.

Rachel caught a glimpse of the other girl's toned abs.

"I might smell," the brunette's eyes shot back up to Quinn's who had definitely seen her looking.

"That's okay." Rachel picks up one of the ear buds and asks, "What are you listening to?" She asked trying to avoid an awkward discussion. They both grab their respected ear bud.

_As soon as you are able, woman I am willing / To make the break that we are on the brink of / My cup is on the table, my love is spilling / Waiting here for you to take and drink of_

"REO Speedwagon," Quinn explained.

"I like it," Rachel said.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Glad to see people are still reading. Always love reviews. Tell me what you like and dislike, I can try and incorporate it more. Also, should I speed up the time line, or are you guys okay with 2-3 chapters a week in the timeline? I'm happy with the speed so far, but it could always change. I know it's pretty much fluff so far, but don't expect it to be smooth sailing all the way through. Well, that's all for now. Happy reading, and happy reviewing!

"Well, guys," Mr, Schuester said as he clapped his hands enthusiastically, "today we're working on unity!"

There was a collective groan from the group.

"Haven't we done this one before, Mr. Schuester?" Santana asked.

The group of teens giggled.

"Perhaps, but this time we need to be working on unity through faith." He walked over to the dry erase board and wrote the word faith under where he had written unity. "Now, what does faith mean to you guys?"

"Don't ask Quinn, I think she's still a little confused on that one," Finn mumbled under his breath.

The whole class sat stunned. Finn and Quinn hadn't exactly become friends since the pregnancy debacle last year, but this was fairly out of character for the tall boy. While he surprised everyone with the outburst, it seemed that three ladies in the room knew exactly where it was coming from. Santana shared a knowing glance to Quinn who was sitting next to Rachel on this Monday Glee meeting.

That was another thing that had caught everyone off guard that day. Of course Rachel was already in the choir room practicing upon the arrival of the other club members. She was practicing with Brad, the piano guy, when everyone entered. Finn walked in with his best wounded puppy dog face on, but the diva paid no attention. Word had spread that the Glee power couple had broken up, so the rest of the club was expecting their fair share of dramatics. At first they felt disappointed when he went unnoticed.

It didn't take much for Kurt and Mercedes to notice the oddity that followed. Quinn Fabray, in all her head Cheerio glory, came striding into the class about five minutes before practice was to start with Sam following behind. The moment the blonde stepped into the room Rachel's attention was on her. Quinn stepped into the class, scanned the seats until her eyes fell on the piano. She smiled at the brunette and began to approach the piano. The diva quickly excused herself to Brad, who nodded in response, and she met the cheerleader half way.

"Hi, Quinn," she said tentatively.

"Hey, you," was the reply that earned a giant Rachel Berry megawatt smile. "You doing okay? Finn giving you any issues?"

Rachel couldn't help but feel her heart beat pick up speed as the cheerleader showed concern for her. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you."

They both stood in silence, oblivious to the entire classroom staring at them (not to mention a very confused Sam standing behind Quinn.)

"Well, I'm going to take a seat before Mr. Schue comes in and makes me sing "Bust A Move" with him again." Both girls giggled.

"Of course, that's a good idea." The brunette replied.

Quinn began to walk away when she turned around and said, "Rach, are you coming?"

Rachel nearly tripped up on herself as she grabbed her bag and rushed over to where Quinn was taking her seat.

And so they had been since practice started. Everyone was confused, since when were they friends? But Finn had heard, he had heard about them hanging out. He didn't like it much, he decided. He wasn't sure whether it was out of jealousy, concern for Rachel, or both, but he didn't like it.

"Or how about hoping for faith that you will get better at sex, Finn, for the sake of your wife one day, because if you don't… That poor woman…" Santana spat at the boy she had taken virginity from.

The room bust out into laughter from everyone but Finn, even Rachel stifled a giggle.

"Alright, that's enough!" Mr. Schuester began to erase the word faith and replaced it with trust. "How about that then?"

"Trust me is not a form of birth control?" Quinn spoke up and earned more giggles from the crowd trying to break the tension.

"What is with you guys today? Is it all a big joke to you?" The teacher was starting to lose his patience.

"May I say something, Mr. Schue?" Rachel stood up and raised her hand.

"And what's that, Rachel?" He questioned back.

"I, for one, agree that unity and faith, or trust, is something that the group needs to work on. It's amazing how you can miss the kind of person someone is deep inside, even if you see them every day." The brunette stole a glance to Quinn, who in turn blushed.

"Exactly!" He agreed and Rachel took her seat next to her friend. "Now, we are going to play the trust fall game. We are going to be in our duet pairs, so everyone pick an area and we'll get started."

Everyone paired off and they began to fall into each other's arms. The sound of the occasional thud of someone being dropped, laughter, and/or arguing was heard from some of the students, but Quinn and Rachel were in their own world. They both stepped forward from where they were sitting.

"I was thinking I'd go first," Quinn offered.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I've got more to lose. You've never really done anything to break my trust," she looked up at the ceiling. "Well, you did tell Finn about Puck being the Dad, but we weren't friends then, it wasn't your secret to keep."

"I'm sorry…" Rachel looked sadly at the ground.

"Hey," Quinn took a step forward and raised Rachel's chin with her index finger. Both girls thought went back to Friday night. "Stop that." They stood in place, locked in an intense gaze. What they didn't know is that Finn was watching on from the other side of the room.

"Dude, what's going on with them?" Finn asked Sam and gestured towards the girls.

"I don't know, man. Who cares? Girls will be girls." The blonde haired boy shrugged.

"I care. I can't believe she dumped me," Finn shook his head. "And aren't you dating Quinn?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "but it's whatever. They are probably just becoming friends. What's the big deal?" Sam turned around ready for the exercise. "Can we just do this and get it over with?"

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Finn held out his arms to catch Sam, but his eyes were still trained on his former ex-girlfriends. Just as Sam began to fall he closed his eyes and shook his head. "What the hell?" He said out loud, and walked out of the room.

Sam fell to the ground, and Mike and Artie (who still hadn't exactly figured out what Mr. Schuester expected them to do in this situation) began laughing profusely. The blonde boy sat on the ground confused.

Meanwhile, Finn had witnessed the whole exchange between the girls.

Their eyes met and they stood still for moments.

"You look really nice today, Rach," Quinn was the first to speak after the silence.

"You as well," the brunette was demanding courage that she didn't have in the moment.

"I wear the cheerios uniform everyday," she giggled, "nothing new."

"And you look beautiful everyday," Rachel inhaled sharply, "yet it's still new and amazing." This was bolder than she had anticipated. She was going to leave it at beautiful, but the words just came up. _Damn word vomit_, Rachel thought.

"Well, thank you. I don't usually enjoy compliments too much," the blonde confided, "but from you it feels different than the others." Quinn had run her hand down Rachel's arm and was now loosely holding her hand.

Rachel stood on her toes and kissed the taller girl on the cheek. "Well, we should start." She turned and began to fall.

Taken by surprise, Quinn barely had enough time to catch her, but she did. The brunette landed safely into the cheerleaders arms and she held her there for a moment. "I told you I would go first." She said into Rachel's ear.

She broke the contact, much to her dismay, and turned to face Quinn. "But I wanted to show that despite your past errors, I trust you."

"Thanks, Rach." She blushed.

"You didn't let me fall." The diva said.

"I'll never let you fall."

"You caught me," she stated.

"I'll always catch you," the blonde confirmed. "Make sure you catch me too, okay?" Each statement coming out as a more serious trust discussion than the game they were playing.

Rachel nodded and held out her arms. Quinn turned around and after a deep breath safely fell into the other girl's arms. "I never pegged you as the kind of girl who needs someone to catch her," Rachel said into Quinn's ear, "but I want to be the one to catch you."

It was somewhere between the kiss on the cheek and all of the trust falls that Finn stormed out, neither girl had really noticed. The only person who had seemed to notice the two girls, besides Finn, was Santana.

"Get a room, you're going to make me vomit," Santana spoke over at the two.

"Be nice, I think it's cute," Brittany spoke up in their defense.

All eyes were on Quinn and Rachel now. The brunette half expected Quinn to sprint out of her arms at the attention, but she didn't. She simply laughed at her best friend and slowly stood up.

"Is it the same room you and Britt go into, S? I'm not sure I'd want to be in there for _that_." Quinn smiled.

"Well played, Q, well played." And just like that everyone was back to their own partnering.

"What was that all about?" Rachel asked.

"Just Santana being Santana. She likes to push my buttons," Quinn explained.

"And to humiliate me." The brunette stated.

"You won't have to worry about that much anymore."

"I still don't get you, Quinn Fabray."

"I like it better that way, Rachel Berry. It's more fun. I'll remain mysterious to you for now, but if anyone can break down the walls…" Quinn trailed off as she took a step forward, tucking a strand of hair behind Rachel's ear, "it's definitely you."

She turned on her heels and exited the room swaying her hips in the cheerleading uniform. She heard Santana snicker next to hear, and then immediately get smacked by Brittany. Looking at the two girls, Brittany gave her a thumbs up.

In the hallway Quinn bent over and got a drink from the water fountain. Being around Rachel Berry made her a mess. Her mouth got dry. Her palms got sweaty. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour.

"Get yourself together, Fabray. She's just a girl." Quinn said out loud to no one as she straightened up.

"What are you doing?" The voice made the blonde jump.

"Finn! Jesus, where did you come from?" She turned around to scowl at the boy.

"What are you doing with her? Are you and Santana planning some prank or something?" He accused.

"What are you even talking about?" Her head bitch mode taking over, she put her hands on her hips.

"With Rachel, don't play dumb with me, Quinn." His voice began to rise a little, "what are you doing with her? Are you going to be friends with her and then tell all of the school about her musical collection? About her pink bedroom and matching office supplies?"

"Excuse me? How do you even have the right to be doing this right now?" She spat at him.

"She's my girlfriend!"

"No, Finn," She took a step towards the boy. "Rachel isn't your property, and she's not even your girlfriend anymore."

"And how do you know that?" He sounded mighty righteous and that didn't sit well with Quinn.

"Oh, I don't know Finn," her anger level was rising not so slowly. "Maybe I know because she dumped you on Friday." He scoffed at her. "You laugh, sure, but let me ask you this," she paused, "where was your _girlfriend_ Friday night?" The word girlfriend was laced with so much sarcasm that it practically dripped on the floor.

He stood in silence. "Um, uh."

"That's right, dumb ass. Because she was with _me_. I was with her, she wasn't with you. So tell me again how she is your property, and how I don't know. Oh wait, I do know." She took another step towards him now. "I know _very_ well."

"Why would you hang out with her?" He asked, honestly perplexed. He wasn't the smartest guy in the world, hell, he wasn't the smartest guy in Ohio, or at the school, or at all actually.

"Because I like Rachel. I know, crazy, right? _So_ wild." Her tone was biting harder than a shark in bloody water. "I've made mistakes, Finn. I've admitted them, to her, to you, to Puck, to everyone. But here is what makes Rachel too good for you," he opened his mouth to speak. "No, don't you _dare_ speak a word right now." She had moved so close now that she was practically standing on his toes. She stuck a single finger into his chest. "She forgave me, like she did you so many times before. She believes in me, that I'm a good person. No one has made me feel like, before or after the pregnancy. She's a good person, better than I ever will be. Maybe if you hadn't messed it up every time she gave you a chance," she jammed the finger into his chest further, knocking him back a bit. "Then maybe you wouldn't be so pissed right now. I'll tell you this though," she retracted her finger. "I'm not going to mess this up, and you aren't going to mess it up for me."

She turned around and began to walk back to the choir room. Just then, Finn grabbing her wrist jerked her back around.

"You don't deserve her friendship," He yelled at her.

"That may be true, but I'm not going to walk away from her," she yelled back at him ripping her wrist from his grasp.

"She's too good for you, just like everyone else is. You're just a heartless, selfish bitch. You always have been. You'll break her just like you broke me, and Puck, and and" he stumbled "AND BETH!" He yelled the last part louder than any statement they had said.

Quinn took a step back as though she had been slapped across the face. Granted, she had been, maybe not physically, but with his words.

"You will _not _talk to her like that," a voice was heard from behind them, "EVER!" The person was now yelling. They both knew the shrill voice all too well.

Rachel stormed in between them and shoved Finn with all the might she had. For a shorter girl, she could get the job done. "Finn Hudson, I have never been so disgusted with you in my life. How could I have possibly thought that I loved you?"

"Loved?" He spoke quietly.

"Yes, _loved_. It is past tense," she spat him.

"Come on, Rachel. I'm sorry, okay?" He tried to touch her arm, but she slapped his hand away. "Things just got heated, you didn't hear the whole thing."

"I heard enough, Finn." Rachel took a step back and intertwined her fingers in Quinn's. "You will never talk to her like that again," she pointed her finger at him, "better yet just don't talk to her. Don't look at her; don't breathe in her general direction. Just don't." She turned them to walk away.

"She doesn't deserve your kindness!"

Rachel came to a complete stop, let go of Quinn's hand, and slowly turned around. By now the whole Glee cast was eaves dropping. "And you ever did? No. But I gave it to you because I thought that you were worth something, but you aren't. Don't you dare tell me what she deserves, because I know better than you do in that situation, believe me. Sure, Quinn isn't perfect, she's made her mistakes. To me though, those mistakes make her perfect. She is a genuine person who has seen and felt things that you, or me, couldn't even begin to fathom. She is strong and wonderful and, and, beautiful! I have been friends with her now for what, a week, and I can see that she is worth more than the year I wasted with you."

The tall boy stood silent.

"I want you to leave me alone, Finn, but I want you to leave her alone more importantly. If you don't we will have big problems." She walked over to him and slapped him across the face. "And don't you dare bring up Beth again, ever." With that she turned around, grabbed Quinn's hand, and pulled them back into the choir room.

Everyone was standing with his or her mouths open. "There is nothing to look at here people," Santana spoke up. "NOTHING!" She commanded, waving her hands in the air, and everyone went back to what they were doing.

Rachel dragged Quinn back to their seats and sat down with her. The blonde sat down, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. Mr. Schuester was now in the hallway talking to Finn, and from the muffled sounds through the door, it sounded like Finn was getting quite the talking to. None of that mattered to Rachel though, only just what was going on in the blonde mind in front of her.

"Babe," Rachel spoke and wiped a tear from the blonde's face, "are you okay?"

Quinn simply shook her head and more tears began to fall. Simultaneously Rachel pulled her into a hug as she leaned in to burry her face into the brunette's shoulder. They stayed like that for a long while, Rachel rubbing soft circles onto the upset girl's back.

Once the tears seemed to have all fallen Quinn sat up and attempted a half smile. "Thank you," she sounded almost like a child with such a tiny voice.

"You're welcome," the brunette smiled.

"I'm going to go clean up real quick." Rachel nodded and Quinn walked away. The brunette sat in silence staring at the dry erase board. Her thoughts were in a million places. She felt someone sit into the seat next to her.

"Thanks, Berry." It was Santana.

"She doesn't deserve that," She continued to stare forward.

"Q and I have our ups and downs, but I do care about her. And she doesn't deserve that at all. If you repeat this I'll kill you, but she needs someone like you. I can't," she paused, "I can't be that, you know? I can be the bitch, or the force, but I don't know."

"I understand what you are trying to get across, Santana." The brunette finally offered the other girl a smile.

"Just don't hurt her, Berry." Before Rachel could ask any questions the cheerleader walked away.

Again she sat completely dumb founded.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: This one is a bit longer than the others. Hope y'all enjoy it. New plot developments and character developments. Still warming up into everything, got a lot of time to pass until the duets. Reviews/comments are always welcomed, tell me your likes/dislikes, what you want more of/what you want less of, or just whatever you feel like. Enjoy!

* * *

Rachel wasn't sure what she had done wrong. It was now Thursday. She had barely talked to Quinn since the Finn debacle on Monday. Tuesday was their duet day, yet Quinn didn't show up to Glee rehearsal. She texted the girl, no response. She called the girl, no response. On Wednesday she didn't show up to school at all. This was strange considering she couldn't remember the last time Quinn missed school. She was starting to worry.

So there she stood, hovering. She was hovering in front of her locker with her eyes trained on the blonde's locker. Sure, school didn't start for another hour, but she didn't mind much. This plan of hers could come off kind of creepy when she thought about it. The night before she decided she would wait until she came to her locker, and if she wasn't at school then she'd go to Quinn's house. She was worried about her friend.

Rachel began to sing softly, she had all the extra time, why not practice? So she began to sing the words to Katy Perry's "Firework."

"Cause baby, you're a firework, come on let your colors burst." She began, singing the chorus, slowly getting louder and louder. It wasn't until she glanced over at the blonde's locker that she saw her. Quinn stood staring at the singing diva. Rachel immediately rushed over.

As soon as Quinn noticed that Rachel saw her, she began to make herself busy fishing from the items in her locker. "Good morning, Quinn."

"Yeah."

"I noticed you missed school yesterday, and Glee Tuesday. It's okay, I'm sure we won't fall behind or anything because of the day. Tuesday is a duet project day, you know?" Rachel waited for a reply. "Are you okay? Were you sick or..."

"I'm fine," was what the cheerleader answered with.

"Um, okay…" She placed a hand on Quinn's arm, "everything okay?"

"It's fine, I'm fine." The blonde shook her arm out from under Rachel's hand. "Okay, just back off." She then slammed her locker shut and walked away. The brunette watched her walk away, and join Brittany and Santana at the end of the hall. At the very last moment, before going through the two double doors of the hallway, she saw Quinn glance back at her with sad eyes.

_What did I do?_ Rachel thought. She walked back to her locker and began to collect her items for the day. The chorus room was always a good place for her to think, and it was generally open in the morning, she thought to head that way. When she grabbed her books and turned around she was met with an awful, but familiar feeling.

Red slushie was now dripping down her face, onto her clothing, and stinging her eyes. She heard the laughter of the person who threw it, but refused to open her eyes. Her eyes tightened. She wiped off the slushie from her eyes and ran into the girl's bathroom.

* * *

The rest of the day was numb to Rachel, absolutely numb. After the slushie incident she got changed and went to her first period, but for once she didn't have her head held high. Sure, this was something she was supposed to be used to, but this one hurt deeper this time. Maybe it was because it had been quite some time, but her morale was down. She couldn't shake the funk.

The brunette was glad that the day was coming to an end we she walked into the choir room for Glee rehearsal. Brad motioned her over to warm up but she simply shook her head no, with a sad smile printed on her lips, and took a seat off to the side. Slowly as people began to fill the room, it was taken notice that the diva was not up to her usual self that day. Sadly enough, it didn't seem like anyone cared. Every Glee club member was now in their normal seat, and hadn't said a word to Rachel. (Aside from Finn who attempted to talk to her, only to be ignored.) The only people not in the room were Sam, and the cheerleading trio.

About five minutes before the practice was to begin Sam walked in looking equally deflated. He scanned the room and locked eyes with Rachel. In peculiar fashion he walked over and stood in front of the sad diva.

"Mind if I sit here?" He said motioning to the seat next to her.

She straightened up a bit, "sure." He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, no, I don't mind. Sure, sit here."

"Excellent, thanks." He sat down and put his books in the seat next to him.

Sam was a cute boy; Rachel had never really taken any time to look at him. His Bieber haircut was a little much, but some how it worked for him. He glanced over at her, caught her gaze, and offered a smile.

"What's got you so down?" Sam asked quietly, turning himself to face her. "Gum?" he held out a stick of gum to her as he put a piece in his mouth.

"We shouldn't really, we have to sing soon…" She stopped herself, thinking about the fact that the gum was some sort of peace offering, or tiny sliver of friendship between the two, "you know what, yes!" She took the gum from him and put the piece in her mouth. "Thank you!" He nodded. "Anyway, I'm not sure, exactly. I got slushied this morning…" She began.

"Aw man, I hate that. It's happened to me twice since I moved here and both times it was really awful."

"Yes, most definitely. I'm kind of used to it though…" She trailed off.

"You shouldn't be," the blonde haired boy shrugged. "No one should be, but you seem like a cool chick, so especially not you."

"Despite my lack of enthusiasm with the term chick, thank you for the compliment, Sam." She smiled, a real smile, her first since talking to Quinn that morning.

_Quinn, _she thought. She looked around the room and noticed she wasn't there.

"She said she's not coming," Sam interrupted her search.

"Who?" Rachel did her best to feign ignorance.

"Quinn, isn't that who you were looking for?"

"No, just Mr. Schue," she lied.

"She dumped me," he looked at the ground dejected.

Rachel was honestly surprised. "I'm sorry, Sam." She put her hand on his shoulder for support.

"Thanks, I just don't get it. But I never really got anything with her, so I guess it makes sense that I don't get this, right? She was always back and forth. One second I thought she was into me, and then it seemed like she would rather be shot than hang out with me. I think it was all for status, " He rambled.

"You ramble too, huh?" She giggled.

"A little." He laughed in return.

They sat in a comfortable silence.

"You have nice hair." The words fell out of the girl's mouth before she can anticipate how awkward of a statement it was. It was in that moment that she realized how socially awkward she really could be.

"You think?" He looked at her surprised.

"Yeah, I could never pull off the blonde look, with my dark complexion and everything, but it most definitely works for you." She smiled.

"Sometimes I think about what it'd be like if I had dark hair, but I don't know… Dudes don't dye their hair really." He looked up at his bangs, "don't chicks – I mean girls – dig dark hair?"

"Stick with the blonde, it suites you." The girl looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She didn't talk to many people, and it was starting to show. Everyone in Glee club walked in and ignored her, but not Sam.

"What Rachel Berry says is law, from what I hear around here," he leaned forward to be in front of her face while saying this. "Blonde it is!"

She looked up some, "who've you been talking to?" She giggled.

"Okay, so maybe no one told me that, but that's what I got from listening during rehearsal." She cocked her head to the side as the boy continued, "everyone groans and rolls their eyes when you speak or make demands, but then they do what you say. They listen to you! You're the captain right?"

"Co-captain." She corrected as she glanced at her ex-boyfriend only to meet his gaze. She put her attention back on the boy in front of her.

"Well, Finn doesn't count for much, from what I can tell." They both shared a laugh.

"That's about right," she said and glanced at the dark haired boy. He was eyeing up their conversation and looked away quickly when he was caught. She shivered; it was a combination of being cold all day from the slushie, and from always being watched by her ex boyfriend. It was starting to creep her out.

"Are you okay? Cold?" Before she could answer his question he began to take off his varsity football jacket. "Here!" He draped it around her shoulders.

She accepted, though it felt odd. She'd never worn one before; Finn always told her that it was only meant for him to wear it, he was the quarterback after all. "Well thanks, Blondie." She said and ruffled the front of his bangs.

He flicked his head so that his bangs fell back into place, "I like you, Rachel Berry. You're cool."

"Thank you, Sam Evans, you aren't so bad yourself." Just then they heard Finn storm out as Mr. Schuester entered the room.

"Anybody know what that was about?" The teacher asked.

Everyone shook his or her head.

"Alright then, let's get started!" Mr. Schuester said enthusiastically.

* * *

"Always picking up my leftovers, aren't we, Berry?" The voice came booming from behind her as Rachel stood at her locker. She didn't jump this time, she wasn't caught off guard, she simply continued with what she was doing.

"Are you deaf?" The voice got louder, the owner of the voice now had her head almost up against Rachel's over her shoulder.

The brunette calmly grabbed her books, closed her locker door, and spun around in her spot. She was now face to face with a pissed off looking Quinn Fabray.

"Good morning to you too, Quinn," she said and tried to move past her. "Have a good Friday."

"No!" She put her arms on either side of Rachel against the lockers, the sound made Rachel jump as Quinn's hands bounded the lockers. "You don't just walk away."

"Why not? You taught me, it's your specialty." The smaller girl was a little uncomfortable with the proximity of the angry girl. There faces being maybe a foot apart, their bodies even closer.

"Save it."

"Oh really? Maybe I should have continued to ignore you, another thing that you taught me how to do. You're really great at it." The hurt in her voice was masked in sarcasm, or at least she hoped.

"Stop that, stop with the sarcasm. It isn't cute, and it isn't funny," the cheerleader said.

"Well, I don't know what else you want from me. If you don't mind, I'd like to get going now." She tried to worm her way out from between Quinn's arms with no luck.

"I heard you were getting pretty comfortable with Sam yesterday in Glee," the blonde spoke softly.

"What does it really matter to you?" Rachel's patience was wearing thing. She shoved one of Quinn's arms out from the side of which cause her to fall into the brunette. She caught her and they stood for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. "You didn't come to Glee, you haven't since Monday. You haven't talked to me, except yesterday morning, which resulted in me getting slushied. Also, you broke up with Sam, so he isn't your property. And lastly, we were just talking; I have no friends, remember? You used to love to point that out." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She then pushed the blonde off of her softly.

Quinn took a few steps back and looked at the brunette. "You got slushied?"

"Really? That's what you got from that? I figured you ordered it." She laughed sarcastically at the cheerleader.

"I didn't, I wouldn't. I told everyone to put a hold on those for you." Quinn closed her mouth tightly as if she'd let out a secret.

"Oh well, my knight in shining armor. What a sweet heart you are." Rachel spat out meanly.

"Whatever, just," she shook her head and waved her hands in the air frustrated, "just stop!" Turning to walk, she felt the brunette grab her wrist.

"What's going on with you?"

"Let me see, what was it you said?" Quinn put her finger to her chin, "what does it really matter to you?" And with that she stormed off. Rachel leaned against her locker letting out a frustrated sigh.

* * *

Quinn showed up to Glee that day, just in time for the weekend assignment. All day the girls had been avoiding one another, but now they had no choice, they had to be in the same room. The three cheerleaders walked into the choir room and took a seat right as Mr. Schuester was beginning.

"Nice of you ladies to show up," he said while writing a word on board. The word was "Worth."

Rachel rolled her eyes and refused to look over at the blonde cheerleader. Sam had sat next to her again and she had to admit it was nice to sit next to someone who wasn't a boyfriend or an ex-enemy. Maybe she'd have a friend in this after all.

"Today we are focusing on the word worth." Mr. Schuester began.

"Like how much Santana's rack is worth after her summer surgery?" Puck questioned, which earned a laugh from most people in the room.

Rachel again rolled her eyes; she couldn't wait for this day to end.

"You know what, Puckerman…" Santana was ready to fight back when Mr. Schuester stopped her.

"No, none of that. This week has been enough drama," he shook his head. "Puck, another comment like that and you're going to see Figgins, got it?" The mohawked boy scoffed, but gave the teacher a nod in understanding. "Now, today there will be no fights, no storm outs, and no drama. We need to start acting like a team. You guys need to band together and realize each and everyone of your own personal worth."

"Now, everyone pair up with whoever they are sitting next to and then we'll switch." Mr. Schuester instructed.

Rachel was relieved; she didn't want to have to deal with Quinn or Finn today. She didn't even think about getting someone like Santana with the mood she was in.

"Mr. Schuester," Sam spoke up as he raised his hand.

"Yes, Sam?" He answered.

"I was thinking, since my partner is Rachel on this one, maybe she could do a song?" Sam asked.

"What!" Quinn said as Rachel spoke up too.

"What are you doing?" The brunette asked.

"Rachel told me yesterday about how she's been working on a song." He turned to the brunette, "remember, Rach, when you sang for me?" These words got the class's attention.

Sam and Rachel had worked together the day before when Quinn didn't show up and Finn stormed out.

"Yeah, let's hear that song you sang _for him_ yesterday." Finn spoke up sarcastically.

"Samuel, I don't think this is really an appropriate time…" The diva, for once, did not feel like being the center of attention.

"Yeah, _Rach_," the term of endearment spoken from the boy clearly annoyed Quinn as she mocked it. "I want to hear it too," She joined in to Finn's push. "Right guys?" The most of the group nodded, Kurt and Mercedes rolled their eyes.

_Why are they tag teaming me? _Rachel thought.

"As long as it goes with the theme, then let's hear it." Mr. Schuester began to sit in one of the front seats.

"Rachel," Sam pulled her up and grabbed her shoulders. "You've got to do this! It's perfect timing." She still looked unsure. "For me?" Rachel nodded and walked to the center of the room.

With one nod to Brad, the music began. Her eyes were trained on Sam at first, he smiled and it took her back to the day before in the auditorium.

* * *

Sam was sitting on the edge of the stage in the auditorium swinging his legs. They had been talking for about twenty minutes, but they had fallen into a comfortable silence. Rachel was walking around the stage thinking about various performances they could do for competition.

"Will you sing for me?" Sam asked out loud without turning to look at the girl. He heard her pacing stop. "I always hear you sing in practice, and I think you have a great voice." He shook his head, "well, of course you know that."

"Thank you, Samuel." Sam hadn't told her that was his full name, she had just taken it upon herself to call him that. No one besides his mother called him that and he kind of enjoyed it.

"So will you?" The boy jumped off the stage and took a seat in the front row.

"Okay," Rachel said with hesitation, stepping down stage to face him. She sang the song for him and upon it ending Sam stood up in applause.

"Standing ovation!" He cheered and clapped loudly, while throwing in various hoots and hollers.

Rachel blushed.

"Did Rachel Berry just blush over applause?" Sam asked, stepping closer to the stage.

"I'm not used to performing to just one person, especially when it is met with such enthusiasm." She reasoned.

"Well, you deserve the enthusiasm, that was amazing! I like that song too." He smiled, looking up at the girl who was standing on the stage above him.

"I think it suites you, Samuel." She sat down on the edge in front of him.

"You think? I like that. No one has ever said anything like that to me." He placed his hand on hers and smiled at her.

"You're a good person." She whispered.

"You're better," he argued.

Rachel crossed her arms, "you don't know me though."

"I know enough, Quinn used to talk about you constantly. I feel like I know all about you." His statement was met with raised eyebrows and an expression of surprise. "Wow, did that come out creepy or what?"

She laughed, "No, you're fine. That's cute, I guess." She shook her head. "Not exactly clear why she would talk about me though…" The diva looked at the ground, Sam's old beat up Chuck Taylor's on the auditorium carpet.

"Because you're awesome," he said and lifted her chin with his finger. She felt odd, she felt like that was Quinn's move. She looked to the side as she blushed. "She likes you, she just doesn't know how to show it." He paused, "wait, did you call me cute?" They laughed.

"So, you think highly of her."

"How could I not? Quinn isn't a bad person, she's just a little lost. That's why I was drawn to her, it's written on her face." He explained.

"I guess you're right."

"Times up, guys, see you tomorrow!" They heard Mr. Schuester shout from the door.

"Well, it was fun working with you today, Rachel Berry." He held his hand out to help her hop off the stage, and she did.

"Why do you always use my first and last name?" She asked while grabbing her things.

"Because you've got that kind of name. I figure one day when you're a famous broadway actress or movie star or whatever, you'll hear it a million times anyway." He said as he grabbed his things.

She giggled and stood in front of Sam, "thank you for today."

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he said and put his arm around her as they exited the auditorium.

* * *

Rachel began to sing the words and scanned the room with her eyes. Various members of the Glee club were swaying to the music, and some were sitting looking positively bored. Finn was staring at the back of Sam's head as if he'd wish it'd blow up. Then her eyes fell on the girl she had been avoiding all day. Rachel was taken aback when she realized that Quinn's eyes were already on her with an intense gaze.

"Do you know that there's still a chance for you? Cause there's a spark in you. You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine. Just own the night like the 4th of July." She looked down and took a deep breath, returning her gaze to the cheerleader, who hadn't looked away. "Cause baby, you're a firework! Come on, show em what you're worth!"

She was singing her heart out, putting everything she had into this performance. It was amazing the 360 that had happened, one second she didn't want to perform, and now she belting out the lyrics as if her life depended on it. It wasn't for anyone else though, it was for Quinn, and the most important part was the intent gaze she had kept with the blonde cheerleader. "Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed, so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road."

A single tear fell from Quinn's eye, and she quickly wiped it away. She never lost eye contact with the brunette singing. The blonde felt as though her heart was keeping beat with the song as it pounded in her ears. She was suddenly aware of every inch of her body, as her arms became goose bump covered, and she felt pins and needles.

"Boom, boom, boom. Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon. It's always been inside of you, you, you, and now it's time to let it through." As Rachel sang these words she got closer to the side of the room that Quinn was on. She was unaware of everyone else in the room. She continued the song to the end.

"Boom, boom, boon. Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon." With the final words Rachel let out a giant sigh and stood in front of the class. She now felt insanely aware of all the other people in the room. Quinn gave her a sad smile and Rachel finally broke their gaze. She could hear applause coming from the students, but it sounded as though it was a mile away now.

"Well, that was inspiring, Rachel." Mr. Schuester said and broke the trance she was in patting her on the back.

She smile and nodded, "Mr. Schue, may I please be excused to the restroom?"

He nodded and she left the room as fast as she could. It wasn't until she was in the bathroom sitting against the cold tile on the wall that she realized she was holding her breath. She let it out and it was accompanied with a large sob that shook her entire body. She sat with her knees to her chest crying, and she wasn't sure why. Then someone entered the bathroom.

"Rach, are you in here?" The voice of Quinn Fabray filled the bathroom, bouncing off the tiles that dawned the floor and walls alike.

She hadn't planned on answering but her sobs gave her away. It wasn't soon after the cheerleader was kneeling in front of her with her hands on the crying girl's knees. Quinn reached forward and brushed some of the brunette locks out of her eyes. Rachel flinched under the touch, which made Quinn pull back apprehensively.

"Hey you…" The blonde whispered. "What's going on here?"

Rachel simply shook her head no.

"That was really amazing in there, really." She giggled, "I cried a little, I can't lie."

"I—I saw," she croaked out between sobs.

"What are you crying for?" This time Quinn brushed some tears from her cheek with her thumb.

"I'm not sure, to be honest." This earned a laugh from the blonde.

"Well, you're too beautiful to waste your time on tears," she whispered, "especially that smile."

Rachel buried her face in her knees.

"Well, can I sit with you until your okay?" Quinn asked.

"If you—if you want…" Rachel said while looking up, her eyes beat red and filled to the brim with tears.

"I want to," Quinn replied. She then moved to sit next to Rachel, with her back to the wall. She took her arm and draped it around the brunette's shoulder. "Come here."

Although hesitant, Rachel let herself turn into Quinn and cry onto her shoulder. "Shhh, it'll be okay." The cheerleader planted a soft kiss on top of the brunette's head and Quinn Fabray knew she was in deeper trouble than she had anticipated.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Alright, y'all. Plot line is picking up. I swear, things will start to get really good soon. I just want to have a ground work, I don't want things to come out of no where for the readers. So enjoy this chapter, and PLEASE feel free to leave me reviews! Likes/dislikes, or what you want more/less of?, etc.

Rachel didn't see Quinn Friday night or Saturday. It took her about fifteen minutes to get calmed down, then a knock came at the door. Sam yelled through the door that he really didn't want to have to enter the girl's bathroom, but that if she didn't come out soon he was coming in after her. The brunette had untangled herself from the cheerleader, gotten up, and walked out of the bathroom without saying a word to Quinn. Sam gave her a ride home and she had spent the rest of her Friday laying in her bed reading, trying to keep her mind off of the confusion that had become her life. She turned off her phone as soon as she got home and fell asleep by 10pm, which she was glad of.

Upon waking up at 9am on Saturday, she felt refreshed from her eleven-hour slumber. After pulling herself out of bed, she decided to shower. The shower had almost hurt more than help. Although personal hygiene was important, all she did was think. She thought about Sam and how sweet he had been, and what that means. She thought about all the homework she had, and other various things. But mostly she thought about the tall blonde cheerleader. The girl who had been occupying all of her thoughts, Rachel simply did not understand.

After taking a shower the tiny diva decided to turn her phone. Seven missed calls, four voicemails, and ten text messages. A month ago she wouldn't have gotten two over a weekend, not her phone was lighting up. Four call were from Quinn, two from Sam, and one from Finn. Three voicemails were from Quinn, and one was from Sam. Seven text messages were from Quinn, two from Sam, and one from Finn.

All of Quinn's were various versions of "please call me, I want to talk, I need to talk to you." The final voicemail sounded extremely desperate, but she couldn't give in yet. She was hurting. Sam sounded upset and worried, but cracked a few jokes. Finn's text message simply said, "What'd Sam do?"

Rachel had made the decision to call Sam back, but before she could get the chance to the doorbell rang. Her fathers answered and called up to her telling her that she had company. As she walked down the stairs she saw a blonde haired boy standing in her living room talking to her fathers sitting on the couch. Sam had brought her flowers and a bottle of Dr Pepper, which she had mentioned was her favorite.

As the diva descended the stairs Sam called up to her, "Hey there, superstar."

She smiled and joined the men in the living. Sam stood up and held out the flowers and Dr Pepper with a giant smile on his face.

"Now what's this for?" She asked.

"It's for a smile. Want to trade?" He asked in reply.

She giggled and said, "deal!" and grabbed the flowers from him, sprinting off to put them in a vase. When she arrived back she realized that her fathers had already asked Sam to stay for brunch, it was now past 11am.

"What do you think?" He looked up at the brunette who was standing with her hands on her hips.

"I mean," she looked away dramatically, "I guess I could bare to be around you."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with her dads and Sam. They ate brunch and then watched some of a Top Chef marathon on TV. Her dads were very impressed by Sam. They all got along well and it was hard for Rachel to not notice how much they loved him. When the day neared 3pm Sam thanked her parents and announced that he had to get going. Rachel walked him to the door and opened it.

"Thank you for today, Samuel," she held the door open as he stood in the frame. "It was exactly what I needed."

"Well, that was my intention so I'm glad I succeeded!" They both laughed. "I'll see you on Monday, Rachel Berry." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Sam Evans," she spoke out as she watched him walk down the steps to his car.

Her dads asked her a million questions after that, but she insisted that they were purely platonic and that Sam was her friend. Her dads and her had dinner, watched a movie (they let her pick a musical,) and parted ways for the evening. She did wonder to herself in the secret of her own room what'd it be like to be with a guy like Sam. Sam was charming and sweet, he seemed like he truly cared. She was still cautious with trusting people, especially football players and cheerleaders, but Sam was just different. Different in a way that reminded her of someone else.

She had left her phone upstairs all day while Sam was over. When she finally checked it again there were two text messages. The most recent said, "tell your dads thanks again. You're the best, Rachel Berry." That one was from Sam and he had sent it right after he left. That earned a smile from the brunette, and she quickly texted him back telling him so.

The second text was a little more heart wrenching. "I can't get you off of my mind, Rach." It was from Quinn. It had been sent at 3:30pm. Simple and straight to the point. After toying with what to say (if anything at all) for nearly an hour, she sent a text back to Quinn. After pressing send she glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearing 11pm. She wasn't sure if the cheerleader would be around or not. The brunette had sent "Is that a good thing?" She didn't know what else to say at this point. Rachel laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, as sleep started to make her eyes heavy she heard her phone go off informing her that she had a text message.

"It's the best thing that has ever happened to me." Was Quinn's response.

"Sweet dreams, Quinn." Rachel sent in reply.

"You too, beautiful." The brunette read the other girl's response as she drifted off into sleep. A million thoughts were floating through her head, but there was a giant smile plastered on her face.

Quinn began her Sunday jog; she stepped out of her front door and began to stretch. It was a brisk, beautiful day in Lima. It was now the beginning of October, and the sun would stop biting quite as much with the heat. Quinn looked forward to this, fall and winter in Ohio were her favorites. She tightened her ponytail and then began pulling her legs up behind her stretching. The blonde had on a gray sweatshirt that said William McKinnley High Football on it, and a pair of pink shorts. After sufficiently stretching she took off into a sprint.

Her iPod began to pump music into her ears. She squinted up into the sky and saw the clouds roaming free in the sky.

_Funny how I still hear that voice / Sometimes it's like it's so loud / I only hear a ringing sound / If only to say this to you now / I love you still and I always will_

Quinn's thoughts began to drift as she took the sidewalk in her neighborhood hostage. With each step her pace slowly increased. Her thoughts drifted from her homework, to the cheerios, to Finn, to Beth, to Puck, to Sam, to her parents, and finally landed on the thought she was trying to avoid.

Rachel Berry. The pint-sized diva was almost like a parasite in her brain lately. Everything brought her thoughts back to the diva. She couldn't do anything without thinking about the girl.

_Funny how my mind counts each day / By the times I've thought of you / Funny how the numbers sway / If only to say this to you now / I love you still and I always will_

What was it about the brunette that always pulled her in? Why did she keep messing it up? This past week had been a mess. When Finn mentioned Beth on Monday something inside of her snapped. She knew how she had treated Rachel was wrong, but she couldn't stop herself. She felt as though Finn was right, she did ruin everyone. She couldn't help from hurting everyone.

But she couldn't give up Rachel. She refused. When the girl sang that Friday in Glee, the words were as if they were meant for her. At first she thought she was imagining it, but then she noticed the singer's intense gaze throughout the whole song. When she ran off crying it was impulse that led her to run after her. She _had_ to take care of her, there wasn't another option.

From that point she just wish she'd talk to her. Not to mention every time Sam got her and she didn't it ate her up inside. She chalked that up to Sam being her ex-boyfriend and that being natural, but she wasn't sure of anything anymore. Rachel Berry was a force to reckon with, she had always known, but it had changed. It was a force she wanted, a force she needed.

_So go easy on yourself / Go Easy / Go easy / go easy/ go easy / gotta go, gotta go now / gotta go, gotta go now _

The lyrics were like a mantra in her head. She picked up the pace and was finally exiting the neighborhood. She began to jog in the direction of Rachel's house. It was quite a distance, which she had learned last Sunday, but it was worth it. It was always worth it, she was finding out.

The song changed and she began to listen for more guidance.

_I won't tell anybody that you turn the world around / I won't tell anybody that your voice is my favorite sound / I won't tell anybody, won't tell anybody / They wanna see us fall, they wanna see us fall down_

She thought back to Beth, and being pregnant. Beth would mercifully kick her through out the day at school. It was a constant annoyance, she remembered. Without thinking, Quinn placed one of her hands on her now flat stomach. She still caught herself doing that instinctively on some occasions. The only time Beth seemed to calm down during the day was in Glee, specifically when Rachel would sing. That was when she started seeing the diva in a different light.

It was during Regionals that it all truly hit her. They were on stage and Rachel was belting out the final parts to "Faithfully" by Journey. Quinn couldn't hide the beaming smile on her face as she saw the girl fill the auditorium with her voice. Her brown hair flowed down her back and rested on her gold dress. She looked outstanding in the dress, and the heels she was wearing accented her legs so well. Quinn kicked herself later for not noticing how gorgeous the girl is.

_I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you / Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute / you're gonna catch me, you're gonna catch if I fall down_

She had promised Rachel during the trust falls that she'd never drop her. Quinn vowed to never let her fall, and that she'd always catch her. She flinched when she thought back to the brunette informing her that she'd been slushied.

After finding this out the head cheerleader was furious. She had Santana put out a headhunt find out who had done the slushie facial. Turns out it was some freshman who was trying to make a good impression; he most definitely had the wrong idea. Santana cornered him after gym in the boy's locker room and threatened to have him slushied every day for the rest of his high school career.

Quinn was grateful for having Santana. Although they got into fights, and were always trying to best each other, she was a good friend to have around. At first Santana was a bit hesitant to help the blonde out for the diva. She'd never been a huge fan of Rachel, but she'd do anything for Q, and so she did. She just didn't get Quinn's infatuation with protecting Rachel. Quinn wasn't sure about it either, if she was honest with herself.

_ I don't believe anything, don't trust anyone but me / But I believe you when you say were never gonna fall / Hand behind my neck, arm around my waist / Never let me hit the ground, you'll never let me crash_

The blonde was glad when she got the call from Sam on Saturday night. She showed up at his house Friday night after he dropped off Rachel. She cried to him, and he held her. She told him that she cared for him and she was sorry that it didn't work out between them. Sam was one of the best guys she'd ever met, and she knew he deserved better than her. The voice of Finn kept echoing in her head, saying that she'd mess up everything. After a long discussion they finally fell on the topic of Rachel.

She explained to him that she wanted to make things right, and that she had a soft spot for the diva. Surprisingly enough he had shared that he felt a similar sentiment. That in the short time they'd talked he'd found how genuine and wonderful she was. The sound of him talking about her gave Quinn knots in her stomach. She felt so territorial about Rachel, even though she had no right to be.

_I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of / I won't fall out of love, I fall into you_

When Rachel finally text her back Saturday night she felt a bit of hope, hope that she was afraid she had lost. It was a last ditch effort, and after she sent the text she immediately felt vulnerable. It was the truth though; she couldn't get the brunette off of her mind. When the reply came over seven hours later she had never believed in the expression "better late than never" so much in her life as that moment.

As the song changed on her iPod again she finally start down the street Rachel's neighborhood was on. She was in a full on run at this point. Her chest was sucking in as much air as possible and trying to propel herself to her destination as fast as possible. Quinn smiled as the music flowed into her mind.

When she finally reached the Berry residence she came to a screeching stop when she saw Rachel sitting on the front porch. In all of her surprise she tripped on the curb and went tumbling into the grass. The wind was knocked out of her, which after running as fast as she was; she was surprised there was any wind left in her at all. She laid in the grass with her arms behind her head trying to regain her breathing.

A moment later the brunette appeared next to her and put her hand under her head. Quinn glanced up to see panic spread across her face, and saw that Rachel was talking to her. She took out an ear bud and smiled.

"What—" she wheezed, "what'd you say?"

"I said are you okay?" the brunette sounded panicked.

"Oh, I'll be okay. Just let me catch my breath," she breathed out.

Rachel was kneeling next to her with one hand on the blonde's stomach and one behind her head. She peered into her eyes and a small smile formed on her face.

"We've got to quit meeting like this," Quinn laughed a breathless laughed, still winded.

"You're the one who keeps showing up at my house, can you say stalking?" The brunette giggled.

"Stalking." The sarcasm earned her a swat on the stomach, which sent her wheezing again. "Too soon!"

The brunette shrugged and shifted her position to be lying next to her in the grass. "You're sweaty."

"I was running…" she trailed off.

"I gathered that, or maybe it was more tumbling?" Rachel asked.

Quinn propped her head up on her hand and elbow and looked at the girl next to her. Rachel expected a goofy or sarcastic answer, but instead of the one she got was vulnerable. This statement was heart felt. "I had to see you."

"You could have called first."

"You could have answered any of the others."

"Touché." They both sat in silence.

Quinn laid back down and closed her eyes. She knew she had to be the one to talk, but she was scared. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and began. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I know that is something I've said a million times, and before you stop me, don't, okay? I just want to get it out." She paused and continued, "The thing with Finn on Monday, I don't know. Something inside of me snapped. It hurt so much. And you, you were so gracious. You stood up for me, you were my shoulder. You took care of me. That scared me so badly. I went into the bathroom, looked myself in the face, and agreed with what Finn said. I knew I'd just mess it up. So I did what I do best, I ran." Quinn sniffled, feeling the tears begin to well in my eyes.

"I went home and locked myself in my room and didn't come out until Tuesday night. I faked sick to my mom to not have to go to school on Tuesday. I was too scared of life to come out of my room. I didn't want to. Then Tuesday night Sam came over, and I blew up on him. I told him he didn't defend me and that he was horrible. He looked so broken, and I couldn't stop myself. I knew he deserved better than me, than what I could give him, and so I ended it." She wiped a spare tear from her face. Rachel reached over and took her hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. When the brunette went to pull away, Quinn held the grip, almost asking for the strength to continue silently.

"Santana said that if I cared enough about you then I'd probably be better off leaving you be, which I agreed with. I tried to distance myself from you, I really did. Then I saw you with Sam, and I saw how he made you smile. He called you Rach, and he touched you, and it turned me up inside." She shook her head, "I was going crazy. I had Santana hunt down the freshman who slushied you and threaten him even." The brunette chuckled. "Then Glee happened. I was so pissed that he was standing there encouraging you to be so amazing, because I felt like I threw away my chance to do that. He just waltzed in and did that for you. But you started singing, and you looked me in the eyes, and it's like I could right all the wrongs. That you had the faith in me." The diva smiled and began to rub her thumb across the back of Quinn's hand. "So I ran after you when you left. I called when you didn't answer. And I texted until you texted me back. This morning I ended up here because this was the only place I wanted to be." She let out a giant and wiped tears away from her face.

Once Rachel knew that Quinn had concluded her monologue she sat up on her elbow and peered over at the tearful blonde. "And you say I'm the dramatic one." They both giggled.

"I think I've been practicing that for about two days, and yet I still don't think it came out how I wanted."

"It came out perfectly fine to me," Rachel sighed. "We're okay, Quinn."

"Are we?"

"I want to be."

"Me too." Quinn sat up and pulled Rachel with her. They faced each other Indian style. The blonde began to pick up at the grass, avoiding eye contact. Rachel reached over and brushed some damp pieces of hair out of Quinn's eyes. "Don't, I'm sweaty."

"That's okay," Rachel said and held her hand on the blonde's cheek. "So what are we listening to today?" She asked.

Quinn held up the ear bud and the brunette gladly to it.

_But when I see you darling, / It's like we both are falling in love again, / It'll be just like starting over - starting over._

"I like it," Rachel was the first to speak up with a giant smile on her face.

"Me too," Quinn mirrored the smile.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Alright, guys. Here is a new update. The next should be soon, I've got a lot of ideas floating around. I know what I want and how to do it. I'm really loving writing this, so I hope you are enjoying it. Comments/reviews. What you like and dislike. You know what I want to read! Don't murder Sam, okay? He's an innocent bystander. All I can say is that after the way Quinn has been, she has to fight for what she wants you know? Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Rachel woke up with a strange feeling in her stomach. She was feeling a bit out of place in her own world, which never happened. A thin layer of sweat had formed above her brow. She tossed and turned for a while before realizing that she couldn't just simply fall back to sleep. There was an urgent itch that needed to be scratched. There was a want and a need. Finally feeling helpless enough without it, Rachel stretched, lying in bed, she glanced at the clock and it read 4:05am.

_Should I?_ She thought. _I want to. Should I?_

Just then she grabbed her phone. After pressing various buttons she held it up to hear her.

A groggy voice played through the speaker, "Mmmm, Rach? What time is it?"

"4:06 in the morning." Rachel answered honestly.

"What? Are you okay?" The voice became increasingly worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just, um, couldn't get back to sleep," she sighed out, feeling foolish.

"Oh okay, well, talk to me."

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you, I just didn't know what else—" She was cut off.

"No, no, never sorry. That's what I'm here for," the voice said.

"I just feel like I have a lot of thoughts rolling around in my head," she was feeling frustrated with herself, she couldn't simply say what she felt.

"I get that, I get that," the voice on the other line yawned, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"Oh," she paused, "I don't know."

"How bout you just lay with me, okay?" This made Rachel smile.

"Okay, tell me something," she said.

"You're really beautiful, Rachel. I think you're wonderful," the voice was now getting quieter.

"I like to hear that," she smiled.

The voice on the other line laughed softly, "I bet you do, babe. I bet you do."

Rachel's heart skipped. _Babe? _She questioned in her head.

"Rachel," the voice sounded very serious.

The brunette took a deep breath before answer, "yes?"

"I've got to pee, hold on," all she could do was giggle as she heard the rustling of sheets. After a bit she heard the padding of footsteps, the rustling of sheets, and then the phone being picked up.

"I'm back, did you miss me?" The sweet voice asked with a smile.

"More than I'd like to admit," Rachel answered.

"Feel free to admit, I like to hear it."

"I miss you constantly."

"That's what I like to hear… I miss you too, you know?" Rachel nodded but realized she wasn't being seen. "This would be easier not on the phone," the voice spoke up.

"What do you mean?" The brunette questioned.

"Me taking care of you," was all the voice said.

"You want to take care of me?"

"It's all I want to do."

Rachel smiled again. "You're doing a good job."

"Thank you," the voice paused, "now come lay with me."

"Okay, Quinn, I'm laying with you."

"I'm glad you called."

"Me too."

Rachel was glad she called too. As the blonde drifted off to sleep she heard her breath becoming even. The sound of Quinn's voice bounced around in her head. She was glad she made the call. As she felt sleep begin to take over she heard a faint "sleep sweet" through the phone before she drifted off to sleep.

When her alarm sounded at 6:15am she slapped it off immediately. Rachel rolled over and put her pillow over her head to cover the light. It was then that she had remembered the events that had taken place in the middle of the night. She scrambled for her phone to make sure that it hadn't all been a dream. She had a new text message:

_Good morning, Rach. I didn't want to hang up, but when my alarm went off I was afraid it'd wake you. I'll see you at school._

It definitely wasn't a dream. They'd both fallen asleep on the phone, it seems as though Quinn didn't hang up until 6:00am when she woke up. She'd barely missed her. Rachel jumped out of her bed suddenly feeling energized. She skipped off and jumped into the shower, her head filled with the conversation they had shared the night before.

Upon arriving at school she noticed a spring in her own step. Today was going to be a good day she could feel it. Rachel headed for her locker and began to grab the things that she needed for her first few classes. Footsteps behind her were louder than she had hoped when Sam appeared next to her.

"Good morning, Miss Berry," he nodded.

"Good morning, Samuel," she nodded in return, "how are you this Monday?"

"I'm doing okay, granted it's a Monday," he laughed.

"This is true, but don't let Mondays fool you," her eyes trailed off down the hallway and landed on one Quinn Fabray at her own locker. Their eyes locked and the blonde shot her a shy smile. "Mondays can be very nice sometimes."

"What's got you in such a great mood?" He questioned. "Not that I don't love it."

"Nice recovery, Samuel." She laughed.

"But really, what's up?" He pressed on.

"I just had a good weekend," she closed her locker and turned to him, "Quinn came and apologized Sunday. You know, for how she was acting in the week."

"I see…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"What what?" He replied.

"You 'I see'd me," she slapped his arm.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," he looked down sheepishly.

"Hurt? But she apologized," Rachel pointed out.

"Just be careful, I like you too much to see you get hurt," he leaned forwarded and kissed her on top of the head. "I'll see you later, superstar."

As he walked away she met eyes with the blonde who seemed less than satisfied with what she saw. Before she knew how to react Quinn was rushing over to her. Rachel smiled at her, suddenly forgetting that Sam had even been talking to her.

"Good morning, Quinn!" She spoke enthusiastically.

The scowl on the cheerleader's face quickly became a full-blown smile, "Morning, Berry," she paused. "You'll never believe this, the silliest thing happened to me last night…"

"Oh really?" Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Yes ma'am, see, I was off in my perfect slumber, getting my beauty sleep. Then all of a sudden "Firework" starts blaring through my phone," Quinn begins.

"Wait, you have a "Firework" ring tone?" She giggled.

"Not the point," she growled, "the point is that my phone starts ringing. I answer it and there is this adorable girl on the other end of the phone. She's talking non sense, basically."

"Non sense, you say?"

"Yup, about her head being jumbled, she's wanting me to say things. Clearly this girl just wants to hear my voice, right?" Quinn questioned.

Rachel simply blushed and looked at the ground.

"Exactly, my thoughts exactly," she said as she picked up Rachel's chin with her finger. "It was super cute," the blonde says with a smile.

"Well, now that I am thoroughly embarrassed," the brunette bangs her head on the lockers behind her.

"Don't do that," she pulled her closer, "I mean it."

"I just couldn't sleep," Rachel answers, "and I needed you."

"Good thing I'm around for the needing," Quinn smiles.

"The best thing," she adds.

The bell rings and they both stand still just looking at one another.

"I'll see you in Glee, Quinn," Rachel was the first to speak up.

"See you there," she begins to walk away with the brunette grabs her arm, and puts her mouth close to her ear.

"Your sleepy voice is absolutely the cutest thing I've ever heard," Rachel whispers before walking off. Quinn is left feeling the chills in every inch of her body.

* * *

By the time Glee had rolled around Rachel's mood had drastically changed. Between a non-flattering grade on a quiz to Finn forcing her to talk to him at lunch she was successfully in a dreadful mood. She walked into Glee, sat next to Sam, and immediately slumped down into her seat. He stretched an arm across the back of her seat and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"You okay there, superstar?" He asked with concern.

"I'm so very tired, Samuel. Not in the sense that I need sleep, but I just feel as though my life as been significantly hard lately. I'm not one to give up, one day of relief would be nice however." She sighed.

"I can understand that. Is there anything specifically I can help with?" He was now rubbing his thumb on her shoulder.

"Help me forget about all of this."

"All of what?" The boy asked.

"The drama of my life," she looked down, "I'm a diva and even I want the drama to calm down. I want Quinn to stay consistent in her feelings, I want Finn to back off, I want to do well in my classes, and I want to perform."

"That's quite the list you've got there," he laughed. "Let's see, the first one I am no help with, considering I have never gotten her." Rachel laughed at this because it was very true. "As for the second, I could assist in that, if you want."

"How so?" As she asked this her eyes landed on Quinn walking into the room, the two eyes met her own. The blonde began to walk in their direction.

Sam was unaware of her approaching them and continued, "um, well, do you want to go out Friday night?" This question got Rachel's attention immediately as she whipped her head to look at him. "I was thinking we could go to Color Me Mine and make coffee cups or coasters shaped like gold stars or something." The brunette couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Sam always seemed to listen to her, and he proved that daily. After she didn't answer immediately he began to remove his arm from the chair next to him and fiddled with his hands.

"I'd love to," she smiled.

"REALLY!" He nearly shouted with a giant smile plastered on his face.

"Absolutely. It's intriguing to me that you come up with such a unique idea; I've only ever done dinner and a movie. Those are so uneventful. Not to mention the artistic aspect!"

Before Sam could reply Quinn was standing in front of them. "Rachel," was all she said. They both looked up at the cheerleader.

"Hello, Quinn," the brunette replied. The three sat and stood in silence. Sam cleared his throat and looked at Rachel.

"Uh," Quinn shuffled her feet, "would you like to come sit with me?"

"As flattering as your offer is, I'm already sitting here with Sam," she glanced over at where the other two cheerleaders were sitting with two open seats. "As I can see there are only two seats over where you plan to it, it'd be very rude for me to leave Sam."

The cheerleader's face became flush and she looked at the ground. "Right, okay then." And with that she walked away.

Rachel sighed and fought with the idea on whether she made the right decision.

"You didn't have to do that, Rachel," Sam said softly. "I'm her ex boyfriend, clearly she isn't interested in being friends."

"Yes, this may be true, Samuel, but you're my friend. I can't just leave you here alone!" She grabbed his arm and linked hers with it, laying her head on his shoulder.

"So Friday, what time?" He asked as he placed his head on top of hers.

* * *

That Monday night had been fairly uneventful and Rachel finally lay in her bed ready to sleep. Her body felt exhausted. Her mind, on the other hand, decided to grant her no reprieve. She had been laying for what seemed like eternity in her bed without the slightest hint of sleep coming her way. She thought of her dads, Julliard, Broadway, Sam, Finn, glee club, school work, and of course, Quinn. The last she had tried to avoid as much as possible. She didn't want to seem desperate or needy, she wanted to seem put together and independent.

She realized how scared Quinn made her feel. Not in the "she's going to say something mean and slushie me" kind of way, but something much deeper. Quinn Fabray was a girl of mystery to Rachel. She did, however, know about all of her former relationships, or at least the idea of them. The blonde head cheerleader was somewhat of a heart breaker.

She dated Finn, cheated on him with Puck, and got pregnant. Upon finding out that she was pregnant she continued to tell Finn that the child was his, despite it actually being Puck's. Once the truth came out she ended up living with Puck. After Beth was born she moved back in with her mom, and any thought of a relationship with Puck completely disappeared. Even though Noah Puckerman seemed arrogant and egotistical, everyone knew he was depressed and heart broken. And then finally you have Sam Evans.

Rachel's friendship with Sam had made things difficult and different. Before she simply saw him as the new guy who had blonde hair, had a decent voice that could come in handy, and a football player. She had been dating Finn and didn't have any time to pay attention to anyone else. But now she knew Sam, or at least was getting to know him. Rachel was impressed by his ability to listen, and to care. He was somewhat of a dork, but she liked that about him. He talked in some avatar language, did stupid impressions, and didn't mind expressing himself in song. He was an ideal guy really.

If Sam couldn't keep Quinn, then who could? Sam had even gotten the cheerleader a promise ring, promising to never pressure her into sex and to love her. That wasn't enough for her. Was anyone enough for her? Could she ever be enough?

Rachel sat up straight in her bed quickly. She had gotten lost in all of her musings and had stumbled on an interesting question. The answer wasn't what was interesting; it was interesting that she asked it at all. Why would she care? It was just a girl. Some friend of hers, or a former enemy, or who ever she was. But something pulled at her heart. Something was floating around in her chest; it carried it self through every inch of her body, and landed in her mind.

It was Quinn Fabray and her smile. How her lips would slowly unveil her pearly white teeth. The smile could kill an unsuspecting person. It was how her hair fell perfectly when it was down, how it framed her face. It was her long eyelashes that danced over powerful hazel eyes. Or the way she expressed every feeling through her eyebrows. They were always up and down, together or apart, to match whatever feeling she was trying to point out to everyone. Sometimes they even gave her away. Maybe it was the soft, warm feeling of her hands on Rachel's skin, how it was like a fire setting itself ablaze on every inch of her. It could be her knowing all the words to Rent, and them belting it out together that night. Or the same night when she cried because of Angel dying in the movie. The vulnerability. The vulnerable beauty. Jus the beauty.

Rachel shook her head and laid back down. She stayed completely still. She didn't want to move at all, she felt as though she'd be giving into something she was afraid of. Where were these thoughts coming from? When did she start thinking them, or had they always been there? She shook her head and reached over and grabbed her phone.

She had a text message that read:

_Color me a lucky guy that you said yes to Friday. I promise it'll be fun!_

Sam had text her a few minutes ago, but she hadn't even heard her phone go off. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that the world seemed to disappear. She giggled at his cheesy joke and quickly typed out a response message:

_I am greatly looking forward to it. Wish it was sooner though, I could use the distraction._

She put the phone down next to her on the bed and rubbed her hands over her face sighing. A buzzing started to fill the air and she glanced over at her phone lying on her sheets.

"_Call from: Quinn Fabray"_ the screen read.

Rachel contemplated on what she should do. She felt at a loss. Before she could make up her mind on whether to answer or not the screen changed to "_Missed call: Quinn Fabray." _A few moments later the screen changed again to "_Voicemail: Quinn Fabray."_

She picked up the phone, unlocked it, and began to listen to the voice mail. Rachel immediately smiled when she heard the voice pour through her speaker.

"Hey you. I was just calling to, well, okay, I just called to say hi." Quinn laughed at herself. "Jeez, Berry, what have you done to me? I'm totally lame. But it's true, I just wanted to hear your voice. You could almost go as far as to say that I missed you or something, don't get an ego about it though." Rachel was now giggling over the rambling that was taking place in her phone. "You might be asleep already, even though it is only eleven. You get up early though, don't you? Maybe I'll hear from you later, huh? Like last night, well this morning, when you called me. That wasn't so bad, even though you woke me up. I'll just hold out for that. Well, this is long. This is embarrassing. Mhmm. I'm going to go. I'll see you at school tomorrow." The phone fell silent, but the voicemail hadn't ended yet. "Oh, and Rach, you looked really beautiful today. Sweet dreams." With that the voicemail ended.

Rachel's heart was beating out of her chest; she could feel it in her ears. Her face was on fire as she could feel the blush, even if she couldn't see it in the dark. All she did was stare at the phone, mouth agape. Before she could doubt what to do she heard the ring of her returning Quinn's phone call through the speaker as she held it to her hear.

"It's not 3am yet," Quinn said as answered the call.

"It was 4am okay?" Rachel laughed.

"Did I wake you before? I'm sorry if I did."

"You didn't, I'm sorry I missed your call," the brunette answered.

"Alright, I'm glad I didn't wake you. Did you get my voicemail?" Quinn sounded apprehensive.

"I did…"

"I'm successfully embarrassed," she laughed.

"Me too!" Rachel joked.

"Hey!" Rachel could practically hear the girl pouting through the phone.

"No, it was really sweet, Quinn. I think I'll keep it."

"Now you're just creepy, Berry," she joked in revenge.

"Am not, I'm sure you keep any I leave." Rachel was joking but smiled when she heard nothing but silence from the other line.

"You have a smooth voice, you know," Quinn finally spoke up.

"Thank you," she felt the blush creeping back in.

"We should both really be sleeping," The blonde stated.

"We should."

They continued to talk for the next thirty minutes about various topics, but avoided anything serious. Mostly just joking and fun, and that was okay with Rachel. After some time she heard the blonde yawn through the speaker.

"Go to bed, sweetie." Rachel cursed herself for letting the pet name slip out.

"Mmmm, but I'm enjoying this. I used to think about doing this all the time," Quinn's voice was now sounding like she was half asleep.

"You did?" The brunette sat up in her bed again, feeling her heartbeat begins to pick up again.

"Oh yeah, all summer. I almost called you a few times, but then," she paused and Rachel hung on every word, "I just didn't." She exhaled and fell back onto her bed.

"You should have," Rachel's voice was barely above a whisper.

"But you're better than me, Berry. There is this song and it goes 'if you ask me what I'm waiting on, then just wait and see.' Well, I was waiting on being good enough for you. I'm still waiting. What could I possibly have to say to you?"

Rachel's eyes grew as the words "enough for you" bounced around her head. She had just been asking the opposite of this question close to an hour ago. Was she going to get her answer?

"I imagine you're enough for just about anyone, Quinn." She spoke.

"Yeah, right." A cynical, but hushed laugh filled the sound barrier between them. "You are this force, Rach. You're so good, in every sense of the word. I can't ever be that. I can't ever be something like you want."

"Want?" She questioned out loud.

"Um, yeah." Silence fell between them. "We should sleep, Rachel. I have to be up for Cheerios practice early tomorrow."

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry I kept you up. And Quinn?"

"Mhmm?"

"You're plenty for me. I think you're the most," she paused, "I don't know, the most everything. You're just everything." Rachel blurted out.

"I love talking to you," Quinn breathed out the words. They sat in silence.

"Uh, so you're going then?"

"I can stay with you if you want," the blonde offered.

"Yeah, stay with me." The diva felt vulnerable, but she knew she couldn't turn down the offer.

"I'm staying as long as you'll have me," Quinn stated and gave one more yawn.

The phone fell silent and they both began drifting off to sleep. Quinn fell asleep first as she heard her lightly snoring on the other end of the line. The last thing on Rachel's mind was how she couldn't think of a time she wouldn't want Quinn to stay. It scared her. Quinn wasn't safe, she wasn't safe at all. She needed safe.

She looked at her inbox and saw a new message. She went to it and read it:

_I'll make sure to treat you really well until then as well. Night, superstar. Have the sweetest of dreams. I'll see you tomorrow?_

Rachel felt her eyes well with tears as she typed her response.

_That's a safe bet, Samuel. Can't wait, you're the sweetest. Night._

She put her phone on speaker and listened to Quinn softly snore. She felt completely confused and lost. She was scared of falling too hard and her not being there to catch her. Was she crazy?

"Am I nuts?" She exclaimed out loud. As soon as she realized that she had spoken out loud she heard rustling through the speaker.

"Mmm, Rach? You okay? Did you say something?" the sleepy voice said.

Her heartbeat began to pick up again as she heard her favorite voice. "I'm okay, Quinn. Go back to sleep, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just go back to sleep, Rachel. It's okay." Rachel giggled as Quinn repeated her statements.

"Night," Rachel whispered.

"Goodnight, my Rachel," Quinn whispered back.

Rachel didn't have a crush on the blonde cheerleader, she couldn't. It was Quinn Fabray. _The _Quinn Fabray.

But she was Quinn's Rachel…

This was ridiculous. She needed safety.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: This one is dedicated to Lilmeister for leaving me such a long and wonderful review! Thank you so much. But really guys, I love the reviews. It helps guide me a bit. This is a bridge chapter. Sorry it isn't as long as I'd hoped, but we've got a ways to go. It's been a little heavy lately, should lighten up for a bit soon. Enjoy!

"WHAT THE HELL, DUDE!" The group heard from the hallway. Everyone was sitting in the choir room waiting for practice to start. It was duet day and everyone was sitting with his or her respective partner. Upon hearing the shouting, Mr. Schuester quickly ran out the room into the hallway, with the rest of the club following suit.

"What is your damage, Finn?" Sam squared himself up in front of Finn.

"YOU KNOW WHAT MY DAMAGE IS!" He yelled as he shoved Sam into a locker.

"Back off, dude." Sam said as he shoved him back, just in time for Mr. Schuester to step in between the two boys, holding Sam back from lunging at Finn.

"What is going on out here?" The teacher looked between the two boys.

"My good buddy Sam here asked _my_ girl out on a date," the brown haired boy explained.

"Excuse me!" All three men's head flipped to the doorway where Quinn was standing with the rest of the glee club.

"Exactly! I am not your property, Finn, besides we aren't even together anymore," Rachel said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, she isn't yours, and she said yes." Sam spat the words out at the other boy with a smile on his face. Quinn looked down at the floor, unable to look anywhere else.

"Okay, okay, let's all calm down and get back in," Mr. Schuester began to wave everyone in. Quinn stood firm where she was in the hallway as the rest of the glee clubbers, minus Rachel, filed back in. As soon as Mr. Schuester started to walk away Finn lunged at Sam, pushing him into the lockers.

With one cracking punch to the jaw Sam had Finn on the ground. Mr. Schuester rushed back over and held the boy back.

"You guys stop this now!"

"Mr. Schue, he came at me again!" Sam exclaimed as he shook his hand off. Rachel rushed over and pulled at the blonde boy's arm, pulling him away from the other two men.

"Samuel, violence is never the answer. Let me see your hand," she examined the swollen hand, "doesn't look broken." He winced as she poked and prodded the hand. "I think you'll be okay, do you want ice?"

"I'll be okay, Rachel," he smiled.

"That was very stupid of you," she dropped his hand.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just don't appreciate people shoving me into lockers, and he did that twice. What was I supposed to do?" He asked.

"Walk away when Mr. Schue told you to!" She stomped her foot.

"Look, I'm sorry." He felt like he was saying this a lot, "I didn't appreciate him talking about you like you were an object." He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Samuel. Your chivalry is greatly appreciated. Now let's get into the choir room so we can begin warming up." She stood on her tiptoes, pulled his shoulder down a bit, and kissed him on the cheek. They exchanged smiles and then both turned to go back to the choir room.

Rachel's eyes met Quinn's instantly and could see the pain and discomfort in them. As soon as Rachel opened her mouth to say anything to her Quinn quickly went and sat down in the room. Sam gave her a sad smile and invited her to sit with him in class. She politely declined and took her seat next to Quinn.

Quinn didn't speak a word beyond okay and yeah for the rest of the practice to Rachel.

* * *

There was no phone call that night, and Rachel refused to be the one to call the blonde. Her behavior was completely ridiculous in the eyes of the diva, but Quinn disagreed. The blonde had spent her night tossing and turning, her head full of every touch, smile, and word she had seen and heard in the hallway earlier in the day.

"How could I be so stupid?" Quinn said to her dog, who was lying on her bed the next morning as she got ready. "All the hugs and the cute talk, I should have seen it. Of course he'd like her, she's beautiful, and talented. It's so unfair though." She stomped her foot while tightening her ponytail in the mirror. "Don't you think, Nomar?" She looked at her dog that just laid still. "You're no help!" She smiled and pet his head. "Catch you later, big man." She sprinted down the stairs, grabbed her keys and bag, and ran out the door. Once in the car she reached over and began to play her iPod on shuffle.

Her car ride was spent in a pensive stare at the street ahead of her. She didn't realize the swiftly approaching headache until she put her car in park at the school. She wasn't sure she could stomach a day of watching Sam walk Rachel to class, or him letting her wear his letterman jacket. She grabbed her backpack and rushed from her car to the school. The sooner the day began the sooner it would end as well.

She wanted to avoid Rachel and Sam. That was her main thought when searching through her locker for various items. Quinn knew her main defense mechanism was to get mean and she'd done enough of that. She was trying to be a new person, and to treat Rachel better. When she heard footsteps behind her she knew she hadn't successfully flown under the radar.

"We really should stop meeting like this, Rachel," she said without turning to see who was hovering behind her.

"Quinn," Rachel said softly placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

She slowly turned and pulled the hand off of her shoulder. "Yes ma'am?"

"You didn't call…" Rachel looked at the ground.

"Neither did you," Quinn sighed turning away to close her locker.

"I wasn't sure you'd want to talk to me," she explained.

"And why is that?" the blonde leaned against her locker and crossed her arms.

"Well, after you heard what Finn said…"

"You mean how I found out that you were going on a date with my ex boyfriend, and I found out about it from Finn?" She said with a matter of fact tone.

"It's not a date—"

"Just save it, Rach," she pushed off the lockers. "You're a big girl, you can do what you want." She brushed passed the brunette.

"Quinn," Rachel grabbed her arm.

"Seriously, it just hurt hearing it from Finn. You'd think Sam or you would have told me," she shrugged off her hand.

"You're upset," Rachel pointed out.

"I was," she shook her head with a smirk, "and now I'm over it."

Rachel could only sigh as she saw Quinn walk away, her hips swaying left to right.

* * *

Mr. Schuester could feel his headache forming. "Both of you, I've told you that I'm not changing the assignment," he put his hands up as if to hold them back, "you will have to work through your issues with your partner."

"But Mr. Schue he punched me in the face!" Finn complained.

"Yes, I realize this, and he has been talked to," he closed the notebook he was writing in on his desk. "This discussion is over."

The young man scoffed and stormed out. After he was well out of earshot the girl began to talk.

"Mr. Schuester, I know I told you I thought this was a great idea," she began.

"I do believe this was _your_ idea to begin with," he stated.

"Okay, you're right, it was. I thought I could get through to her. Everyone deserves a second chance and all of that, but" she paused, "it just hurts too much."

The teacher sighed and stood up, pushing his seat in. "I understand how hard this is for you, and I truly applaud your effort." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "getting slushied and being insulted can't be fun." She looked up at him and nodded, tears filling her eyes. "But your aspirations on this one are noble, and they are well placed. I believe that you can really make a difference here." He patted her shoulder and began to walk past her, pausing at the door, "she'll come around. I think she needs you just as much as you need her," and then he exited the classroom.

She gently wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed loudly. As she exited the classroom she jumped at the voice of someone else.

"So, did he change his mind?" It was Finn.

"Jesus, Finn, must you always troll around corners like that?" she asked.

"I just came back to get my bag, I left it in his room, and I saw that you stayed longer…" He walked into the room and grabbed his bag. "So, did you get him to budge?"

"I'm not sure why you are talking to me right now, to be honest."

"I know I was out of line before, but we both want this duet assignment to end. You are miserable with her!" He wore a smug smile.

"I am not miserable with her, it's simply more complicated than that," she sighed.

"Whatever, tell yourself what you want to hear," he began to walk away, "I know it's some game to you."

"What is your deal, Finn?" She started towards him, "I'm so sick of you passing judgment on me!"

"And you don't think I deserve it?" He turned around and hovered over her. "I know you, we did date after all."

"I'll make this pretty clear," she poked him in the chest, "you don't know a damn thing about me. Now stay out of my way, I mean it." She pushed him and walked away.

"Walk away, Quinn Fabray, it's what you do best." He shouted down the hall to her. She cleared her throat and continued to trek away. The tears were starting to gain momentum as they trailed down her face. As they got faster and larger she broke out into a sprint. Nothing had been going according to plan; this isn't where she wanted to be in life. She ran as quickly as she could, pushing it all behind her and where she ended up was the auditorium.

Quinn heard the door slam behind her as she walked towards the piano. She sat at the bench, lifted the keys cover, and began to lightly press various keys. Her hormones were easy to blame when she was pregnant, every time her tears escaped her that was the excuse she used. But this was pure heartbreak. She sobbed, hunched over protectively holding her stomach, as though she was still cradling the child she had to give up months ago. She finally calmed herself down and began to lightly play the piano again. Quinn cleared her throat and began to sing, though it sounded croaked and strained. The sound filled up the quiet auditorium in a haunting way.

_You are my sweetest downfall / I loved you first, I loved you first / Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth / I have to go, I have to go / Your hair was long when we first met_

While she progressed through the song she became more and more immersed in it, so much so that she didn't hear the quiet click of the door closing. Her voice had now worked through its tear stained sound and was now full and commanding.

_You are my sweetest downfall / I loved you first, I loved you first / Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads / But they're just old light, they're just old light / Your hair was long when we first met_

Quinn continued to play as new tears formed in her eyes. She shook her head and spare strands of golden locks fell from her ponytail, which had now become very loose. They framed her face as she sung out the final words to the song.

_Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down / Yeah we couldn't destroy a single one / And history books forgot about us /And the bible didn't mention us, not even once / You are my sweetest downfall / I loved you first _

Her fingers ceased movement and she sighed as she lifted her foot of the sustain pedal. She stared at the black and ivory underneath her fingertips. The only solace that she'd found over the summer was between the white and black. That had been what she was taught her entire life anyway, there was no room for gray. There was black, and there was white. Life didn't have round edges in her family. Her tears began to multiply as she thought of how much of a disappointment she was to everything she had learned as a child. The feelings that she was currently suppressing were definitely gray area.

Quinn Fabray was in love.

"Quinn," a whisper echoed as if it'd been shouted through the quiet auditorium.

"Go away, please, Rachel," the voice she had heard was undeniable.

"That was beautiful," she took a step closer to the blonde.

"Please, Rachel, just leave me be," Quinn was on the verge of another full on sob at this point, her head throbbing. "Please!"

"Are you crying, Quinn?" She was now standing directly behind the blonde on the piano bench.

"Do you ever just listen?" the cheerleader refused to look up so Rachel could see her vulnerability.

"Not when I think you need me," the diva placed a hand on her back, which Quinn immediately shook off.

"Well, I'm sure Sam needs you more," she sniffled.

"So that is what's bugging you."

"Actually no, everything isn't about you and the blonde male Barbie."

"You don't have to be mean with me, you know," Rachel lowered her self to kneeling next to the piano bench. "Just talk to me."

Quinn buried her face on the piano and began shaking with sobs. All the other girl could hear was incoherent mumbling from the crying girl. Rachel began to rub her back softly. When she finally got calmed down she glanced over to Rachel to see a small sad smile placed on her lips.

"There you are," Rachel whispered as she wiped some tears off of the other girl's face with her thumb.

"Here I am," she spoke quietly, hiding her face on the piano again.

"No, no," the brunette placed her hand on top of the sad girl's. "None of that hiding, please?" Quinn turned her attention back to the girl, "thank you."

"Can you go, please?" She asked quietly.

"Why are you pushing me away so hard?"

"I've been down this path before. I know this feeling, like I need you. Duets don't work for me. And I don't need you." Quinn stood up.

"No, stop!" Rachel commanded while pulling the blonde back down onto the bench. "I'm not letting you run away," she put her hands around both of Quinn's hands, "we are going to sort through this."

"Sort through what?" She shouted.

"Whatever makes you push me away, and makes you run away!"

"WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THAT TO ME! I DON'T RUN! I'M THE _ONLY_ ONE WHO STAYS!" Quinn got up from the bench, jerking her hands away. This startled Rachel.

"Please calm down, Qui—" she was cut off. Quinn sprinted almost nearly to the door, before turning and pointing aggressively at Rachel.

"No, I'm sick of this! I'm sick of everyone getting to pass his or her judgments on me. I have messed up, but no one knows what it is like. You go through what I went through, okay? I'm not one to play the victim but I'm sick of this."

"You're right, I don't know what it was like. You could help me understand though," Rachel stood up and started to take strides towards the blonde. This immediately resulted in Quinn throwing her hands up in defense.

"No," she shook her head. "NO!" She began to shake her head back and forth. "I don't want your help, I don't want to do this. I don't want to, I can't get hurt again, and I don't want to hurt you. Or Sam."

"Sam? What does he have to do with this?"

"He likes you, Rach. It's clear, it's all over his puppy dog face." She laughed bitterly, "The golden retriever has found his new master."

"Hey!" Rachel crossed her arms. "Don't do this, please. Can you just listen to me?" She shot Quinn a pleading look and took a step towards her just so she could take a step back.

"No, I can't," she closed her eyes tightly, "because I've heard the speech a hundred times!"

"Have you?" Quinn nodded in response to Rachel's question. "Okay, stop me when you feel like you've heard it, deal?" Quinn stood still and expressionless. "In the second grade I told my dads that I wanted to be your friend because you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen." She took a step forward, the blonde stood still. "In the sixth grade you invited me to your birthday party but I didn't go because I was too nervous." She took another step. "In the eighth grade you signed my yearbook, 'Don't listen to what everyone else says, you're going to be a huge super star. I'm calling it now. Thanks for being the only star I ever see during the day, especially inside. It makes the days bearable. See you around, Rachel.' And I read it every day until the second week of freshman year. Do you know why?" Quinn shook her head. "Because it was the first day you called me Man Hands." Quinn looked to the ground, Rachel took a step forward, and she took one backwards. "It was also the first day you ever wore a cheerios uniform," she paused, "I thought you looked lovely." Rachel advanced a step. "I resented you so much for how you treated me all freshman year. Then last year you joined Glee, and the pregnancy happened." She took another step. "Everything came out, and I was horrible to you."

"You were not," Quinn said with her eyes still trained on the floor.

"I was though. I offered you friendship, but you needed something more. You were scared, and you needed _someone_ not just anyone." She took another step, now standing in front of the blonde. "Quinn Fabray, I think I could be that someone." Rachel placed her hands on the cheerleader's hips. "Will you let me be that someone?" The brunette now had tears in her eyes matching the ones the blonde was sporting.

"I, I—" Quinn was having trouble finding words, so instead she wrapped her arms the brunette tightly.

Rachel giggled, "is that a yes?"

"It's a maybe," the blonde sighed into her shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thank you for the great reviews. Shout out to dreamupfalldown for being the only one to notice a certain plot twist and comment on it: you read this past chapter correctly, and you remember correctly as well. If you read the summary of the story, you'll notice it makes sense. Some really great long reviews you guys submitted, it's awesome. So much appreciation coming from this side, believe me. I hope you enjoy!

"Your turn!" Rachel squealed.

"I know, Rach, chill!" Quinn commanded and squinted hard at the checkerboard. "I can't believe you got me to play checkers, what are we twelve?" She asked as she made her next move.

The brunette pouted and immediately made her next move, "YOUR TURN!"

"I can't keep up with you, you just sit there and plot your next move," Quinn said as she placed a finger against her lips in a thinking gesture. "I need to execute my plays precisely."

Her move was followed directly by the other girls.

"Rachel, do you like apples?" the blonde asked.

"Why, yes I do, why do you ask?"

Quinn followed that statement by swiftly double jumping Rachel's pieces and successfully landed in a spot that made her piece get king-ed. "How about them apples?" She flashed a cocky grin.

"Wow, I knew we shouldn't have watched Good Will Hunting…" Rachel stared at the board.

"But I love that movie," it was Quinn's turn to pout.

"Pouting isn't as flattering on you as it is me," Rachel said.

"Is that so?"

"It has no affect on me what so ever," the brunette glanced up at the other girl.

"We'll see about that," Quinn smiled. Rachel made her move and Quinn followed it quickly, successfully jumping the diva's remaining pieces and winning. "BOOYAH!" She jumped up and began to wiggle her butt in what some might describe as a victory dance. Despite being a sore loser, Rachel couldn't help but giggle at the dorky girl in front of her. "Don't laugh at me, loser!"

"Play nice," the brunette said as she started to clean up the checker pieces and board off of the kitchen table.

"You give up that easily, Berry?" Quinn questioned.

"My dads are going to be home soon, so the kitchen table has got to be cleaned off," she put the board in the box, "but I can promise you a very competitive rematch in the future. Now that I know what you are capable of I will have to brush up my checkers skills."

"The kind of girl that practices checkers," the blonde shook her head. She glanced over to see Rachel standing on her tiptoes trying to put the box on the top shelf. She sauntered over and placed her hand on the shorter girl's lower back. "Let me help you with that," with her other hand she reached up and grabbed the box from the shorter girl. Safely placing it on the shelf, "all good."

"All's well that ends well," the shorter girl said as they stood in close proximity.

"Honey, I'm home!" They both jumped at the sound of the voice shouting from the front door.

"In here, Daddy!" Rachel hollered back. Quinn couldn't help but smile at the cheesiness of the event that was taking place.

"I saw a car in the drive, is that Quinn's?" Peter asked as he walked in the kitchen. "I'm going to take that as a yes! Hello, Quinn!" He said enthusiastically while placing his brief case on the table, eyeing up the situation in front of him. Quinn's hand was lightly hovering on Rachel's hip.

"Hello, Mr. Berry," the blonde said and quickly removed her hand from the previous position.

Rachel sighed at the lack of contact but pressed on, "where is dad?"

"He's keeping the store open a bit later to train new employees tonight, we'll have to save dinner for him." He loosened his tie, "I hope you will stay, Quinn?"

Quinn glanced between him and his daughter, her face lighting up at the invitation her daddy had just metaphorically put on the table. "You bet," she laughed.

"EXCELLENT!" Rachel clapped her hands together.

"Take out and a movie?" He asked as he kicked his shoes off under the table.

"Daddy…" the brunette spoke somberly.

"I'll pick them up in a little while, let your old man relax," he said gingerly.

Quinn nudged the girl standing next to her, "yeah, let him relax, Rach!"

Peter laughed while Rachel stood with her mouth open in shock.

"I like this one, can we keep her?" He laughed.

"I think so, daddy," Rachel looked at Quinn with surprised, awestruck puppy eyes.

"Please, sit," he gestured at the seats in front of him. They both did as instructed and took seats in front of the man. "So, Quinn, tell me a little bit about yourself."

The anxiety that filled her was instant. She began to bounce her leg and open her mouth; just then she felt a warm soft hand be gently placed on her bouncing leg. She then stopped bouncing it, glancing at Rachel who was smiling, and began to speak. "Well, sir, what would you like to know?"

"Sir makes me feel old, how about Pete?"

"How about Mr. Berry?" She giggled.

"We can work on it, but Mr. Berry works for now." He nodded, "tell me about school and what you do with yourself," he looked her up and down, "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say you're a cheerleader."

The three laughed, "Yes, sir, I mean Mr. Berry, I'm on the Cheerios."

"Head cheerleader to be exact!" Rachel spoke up proudly despite Quinn's blushing.

"Head cheerleader, huh? That's a pretty big deal I'd imagine." He smiled.

"Oh yes," the brunette spoke up again.

"Let the girl speak, honey," he laughed and Quinn joined in. Rachel looked down at the table, this time Quinn placed her hand on top of the Rachel's, which was still on her knee, and gave it a squeeze.

"It's a lot of work, especially getting back into the position of authority. Some days I question whether it is worth, but I truly do love the sport. Not to mention it is a great work out," she explained.

"Right, right. That's great," he straightened up in his seat. "I'd imagine this leaves you to be quite the popular kid, I remember how high school was." Quinn quickly figured out where this was heading, she simply nodded. "How does that work with you being friends with someone less popular, say Rachel for example?"

"DADDY!" Rachel shrieked.

"Rach, it's fine," she said. "You know, it isn't really anyone's business at school. I decide whom I want to devote my time to. I'll admit that in the past I dealt with the popularity difference in ignorant ways, but after last year it opened my eyes a bit. I was seeing things in a new perspective, a new perspective that almost always had your daughter in it."

Silence fell in the kitchen, the blonde could feet her heart beating in her chest loudly. Then finally he cracked a smile, "excellent answer. So no more slushies then?"

"Never again," she nodded.

"And the name calling?"

"Unless the name is Rach, Berry, babe, superstar, or something along those lines, nothing of the sort," Quinn nodded again.

"Babe? Huh. Hm." He stood up, "you passed. I like this one, Rach. You can keep her." He began to exit the kitchen, "then again your competition wasn't too tough, Quinn."

"Daddy!"

"What? That Sam kid is nice, but she's charming." He pointed at her and winked. He went to change and left a crimson-faced Quinn.

"That went well, I think," Rachel nodded. "You can stop holding your breath now."

The blonde let out a huge exhale, "I didn't realize that was in there."

They both giggled, "you're cute." Rachel said and laid her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"I'm glad you think so," she sighed out.

"Are we going to talk about the last couple of days?" The brunette asked with her head still on Quinn's shoulder.

"Maybe, not now though," she closed her eyes. "I'm in a good place, I like this place."

"This one?" Rachel pointed her finger down on the kitchen table.

"Yeah," the blonde took her hand and intertwined their fingers, "this one."

A gentle sigh escaped the diva's mouth as they sat there in silence, their hands still joined on the table.

"What are you thinking about?" Quinn asked.

"About last year."

"I try my best to _not_ think about last year," the blonde chuckled.

"Towards the end of the year, after I offered you my friendship, I really hoped that you would take it," Rachel confessed.

"Yeah?"

"Most definitely. I see a lot in you, Quinn. You are a very poised person, you just seem a little lost sometimes. Sam and I were discussing it." She pulled her head up off of the other girl's shoulder.

"Ah," Quinn sighed, "Sam."

"About that," she began.

"It's really fine, Rach."

"It's not a date, well not to me," she said quickly. "Maybe perhaps I had hoped that it could have been something of the sort," she paused, "but that would be unfair to him. My feelings are somewhere else currently."

A calm, but thick, silence fell upon the room.

"They are?"

Rachel nodded and placed her head back on the cheerleader's shoulder.

"Mine too," Quinn whispered.

"Girls, let's pick the movie before we decide on dinner!" They heard Peter shout from the living room. Quinn gave Rachel's hand one last squeeze before gently getting up and letting go.

"Come on, you," she smiled and walked away. The diva followed behind shortly.

"There you girls are," he said while looking through the various DVDs they had on the shelf. "So what do you want to watch? I saw that you watched _Good Will Hunting_ earlier."

"Please don't remind me, Quinn attempted a Boston accent for a good thirty minutes after it." The blonde blushed as Rachel told her father this, and swatted her on the arm. "Ow!"

"So dramatic…" She trailed off, "go sox!" She said in her best Boston accent.

"Hey, that's pretty good!" Peter gave her a thumbs-up and went back to searching the DVDs. "How about _Because I Said So_? I want something romantic."

"I'm okay with that," she looked to the girl standing next to her, "Rach?"

"I guess Mandy Moore is suitable," and trekked off to the kitchen, returning with take-out menus. "Now! What to eat?" She held them up with great enthusiasm.

* * *

After dinner arrived, was eaten, and then cleared up, they all sat full in their respective spots, Quinn and Rachel on the couch, and Rachel's father Peter in the recliner. Though they started out on separate ends of the sofa, both girls had migrated to the middle of the couch midway through the movie. Both of their arms lay up against each other in between them, but neither moved. Occasionally the blonde would start to lightly tap on the brunette's fingers, never removing her eyes from the TV. This would elicit a smile from both of them, perhaps a soft giggle, but never loud enough to get Peter's attention. In response the brunette would occasionally run her foot up and down the blonde's heal lightly, also never taking her attention from the TV. The response was typically the same and they continued to do this throughout the movie. About two thirds of the way through the film the front door swung open.

"You're home!" Randy, Rachel's Dad, spoke up as he closed the door behind me.

"Of course we are," Peter kicked in the recliner and approached his husband, kissing him on the cheek. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"When I pulled up all the lights were off," he explained as he took off his jacket and flipped on a light switch. "Who's car?"

"We are watching a movie," he explained as Randy's eyes dragged their way across the scene in the living room.

"Hi, Dad," Rachel straightened up, "we have left over's for you." She pointed towards the kitchen.

"Great…" he said slowly, his eyes trained on the houseguest.

"Mr. Berry, it's very nice to see you again," Quinn said as she approached him with her hand out to shake the tiny man's.

He accepted the shake, "you too, Quinn." An awkward silence fell upon the room. "Well, I'll let you guys get back to the movie, I'm going to go change and then I'll join you." He then quickly left the room and headed up the stairs.

Quinn returned to her spot on the couch, this time even close to Rachel, their bodies flush against each other. "That wasn't so bad," Rachel whispered in her eyes.

She loved being this close to the diva. Quinn shivered as the hot air of the girl's breath washed over her. All she could do was turn her head and smile, but that proved to be a dangerous idea as it made them now inches apart, face-to-face. She could feel the brunette's soft breathing against her lips, she licked her lips, but turned her head back to the screen. Rachel took her hand and gently placed it on the girl's leg and began to draw shapes onto the skin. Quinn was again assaulted with an on slot of shivers. Before she could anticipate her reaction she stood up abruptly.

"I'm going to grab a glass of water," she cleared her throat, "anyone need anything?" Both Berry's shook their heads and Quinn quickly walked to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen she took the opportunity to rest her head on the counter. She then proceeded to run the sink water over her hands and pat her face some. "Get a grip."

"Do you make it a habit to talk to yourself?" The voice made her jump, when she turned to find Randy standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face it didn't calm her nerves any.

"Oh, no sir, just sometimes," she laughed nervously. He returned the laugh and walked to fridge.

"Enjoying yourself this evening?" He asked as he rummaged through the fridge.

"Yes, sir." She dried her hands off on the dish towel next to the sink, "the left over's are right here." She handed him the boxes of food and he took them from her gratefully.

"Excellent, thank you," he nodded and began to shovel the food out onto a plate with a fork. She began to leave the room when he spoke up, "Quinn," he called out, "mind if I have a word?" He gestured at the breakfast bar.

"Sure," she said and walked back, taking a seat at the stools.

"I don't have an immediate problem with you, Quinn," he said as he continued to prepare his dinner.

"Immediate…" she repeated.

"What I mean by this is that, I assume I don't have a problem with present day you," he walked over to the microwave. "But I hope you could see why I would be slightly cautious into letting you into my home, and into our lives." He began to press buttons into the microwave panel. "You've put Rachel through a lot of pain in the past, and it is hard to see you cuddling on the couch with my little girl."

"I'm sorry, I can keep my personal distance if that is an issue," she spoke quickly.

"No, no," he laughed and turned, leaning on the counter as the microwave did it's work. "It's not that, what you to do isn't my business," he paused, "well, actually…" Quinn blushed.

"She's a good friend," she offered.

"That she is, but not too many people take the opportunity to learn that," he said. "I am not stupid, I know that my daughter isn't the most popular girl at McKinnley high," Quinn looked at her hands and started to fidget as he continued. "But I can promise you that she is the best girl at that school."

Quinn raised her head and smiled, "now that is something we can agree on."

"It is, this is true." The microwave beeped and he turned to tend to it. "I'm trusting you here, despite what seems as though my better judgment." She sighed at these words. "If Rachel didn't speak so highly of you then maybe it'd be different. Just don't let this turn out to be some practical joke or a waste of her time, if it is then just walk away now." He turned around with his food, "her heart can only break so much, you know?"

"I do, Mr. Berry." She stood up from the stool, "and I can assure that this is neither of those things you mentioned. I care a lot about your daughter, despite my past actions. A lot of things have happened to me in the last year that have been eye openers," she said.

"So I have head," he said plainly.

"You and everyone else in Lima," she laughed. "I'm staying around as long as Rach will have me. I want to be something good for her."

"Then you're fine by me," he grabbed his plate and walked over to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Berry," she smiled.

"Please, call me Randy, Mr. Berry makes me feel old," he laughed. "Let's get in there before they think I murdered you." They both laughed and walked into the living room, Randy sitting in the recliner next to his husband, and Quinn next to Rachel on the couch. She threw her arm across the back of the couch and tucked her legs under herself.

"You were gone awhile," Rachel whispered into Quinn's ear again. The shivers returned and the blonde smiled slightly.

"Miss me?" She asked with a cocky tone.

"You better believe it," the brunette said as she inched closer. Quinn placed her arm from the back of the couch to Rachel's shoulder.

"I like this place," she whispered.

"Me too, Quinn."


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Sorry, you guys. I suck. I've been really busy lately, sorry for the lack of updates. Here is a cute short little chapter to get you through until I can really pound out some good long ones. (Oh my god, that's what she said.) I hope you enjoy and make sure you give me feedback if you want. I love the reviews.

Rachel's Thursday had been going superbly. Quinn and her were doing better than ever, the blonde cheerleader walking her to most of her classes that day. When lunch rolled around Quinn offered her half of her lunch in exchange for a hug. Rachel was dumbfounded; she wanted a hug in front of the entire lunchroom. This was a little bit more out of the ordinary than the past. Because of her lack of words, she simply smiled and nodded. This response was met with a bone-crushing hug that lasted for what, at least Rachel thought, was longer than usual. Amongst some of the giggles from nearby tables, all Rachel could hear was the pounding in her ears. The giggles soon subsided when the eyes owners of the laughter was met with an attitude filled Santana standing behind the hugging ladies.

"You smell amazing," Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear, which made the girl blush and shiver as they pulled apart.

"Thank you, you as well. I was trying out a new shampoo, I'm glad you like it." She said quietly.

"Ah, so that is why I noticed," the blonde smiled.

"Oh my god, make me barf," Santana made a fake gag noise and continued, "so is BerryFairy going to sit with us?"

"Excuse me?" Quinn's tone became biting.

"Fine," the Latino cheerleader rolled her eyes. "Berry, want to sit with us?"

"Wow," was all Rachel could muster with a smile.

"Don't even get me started," Santana crossed her arms before turning to the head cheerleader, "you know what? This is bullshit. You can't hold your secrets over my head."

"You act like you do these things because I know secrets, when all actuality you just want to be nice," Quinn stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"WHATEVER!" Santana huffed and marched off to meet Brittany at the lunch table who was playing with a stuffed duck Rachel had given her earlier.

"What do you have over her?" Rachel asked amused.

"Nothing good, it's like I said, Santana secretly likes to be nice," Quinn nodded.

"I see…"

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"I just, don't take this the wrong way, but this all seems a little fishy to me," Rachel cringes after admitting this to the girl, who looks a little hurt.

The blonde sighs, "I know I deserve that, but it doesn't make it hurt less," and turned on her heels to join the other cheerleaders at the table. Rachel took a moment or two to consider what the following actions could entail. If she walked away it would signify a grudge that she held, but going to sit with them was like officially presenting herself vulnerable to them.

During her deep-seated inner monologue she glanced up in time to make eye contact with Quinn as she laughed with Brittany about something that left Santana with an unpleasant look on her face. Seeing her toss her head back in laughter, the way her ponytail flip-flopped back and forth, each curl springing up and down, it was mesmerizing. The way her pink lips hugged over her perfect white teeth as she laughed made me stomach flip. The way her mouth pursed when she was listening to someone, nodding intently. Their eyes met again and Rachel found a small smile formed on her lips, the girl's smile was contagious.

There was no decision to make, Rachel crossed the room and sat at the table next to Quinn with the three cheerleaders. Some looked on, but most continued with their lunchtime conversations.

"Nice of you to join us," Santana snarled.

"It is nice!" Brittany clapped her hands together excitedly, "don't you think, Quinn?"

"It's very wonderful, Britt," Quinn smiled and bumped shoulders with Rachel who returned the smile. The girls spent the rest of lunch giggling, joking, tossing food at each other, and simply talking. Rachel couldn't believe how amazing it felt to just have friends to sit with and have fun. But Quinn was something else. She saw how her eyes lit up every time their hands lightly touched. She saw the way her mouth curled up into a smile a little more for her than for the other two. And she saw the way she was willing to get up and get Rachel a bottle of water the second she said she was thirsty. The two shared the bottle, passing it back and forth for the remainder of lunch. Rachel seemed to be more and more thirsty when it involved her fingers brushing against the blonde's.

The diva couldn't help but think that safety was overrated. That whatever she had going on was wonderful, and she didn't want to ruin it. Especially when Quinn tugged on her hand as the bell rang signaling that lunch was over, and didn't let go of it until they reached the doors of the hallway.

"I'll see you in Glee, yes?" Rachel asked. "It's our day to work together."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she smiled at the ground nervously, noticing that their hands were still lightly intertwined. "Today I want you to sing for me, okay?"

"Music to my ears," the diva giggled, "please, stroke my ego some more."

"I'll stroke something alright," was all Quinn said to earn her a gasp from the brunette and a slap on the arm. "Oh, Rach," Quinn laughed and pulled her in for a tight hug. Again, people walking by the pair gave odd looks but didn't dare to question.

"People are staring," Rachel spoke up.

"Let them, you are awfully cute." Quinn reasoned.

"Stop that," Rachel pulled back and commanded.

"I'm just being honest," she smiled, "I also could careless what people think. Do you have an issue with it?"

"Are you kidding me?" The brunette looked at the girl as if she had three heads. "I'm getting attention from the most popular girl in school. I'm cool."

"You saying I'm cool sounds like a parent saying it," this earned Quinn another slap on the arm. "You're going to make me bruise!"

"You deserve it!" Rachel began her best attempt at a pout, although she was very happy.

"You deserve to have the attention, Rach," the blonde began, "you're kind of the only one who gets my attention anymore. Who else is better than you? No one. Exactly!"

"I—I –" The diva had lost her words.

"I really should get going," Quinn gave the other girl's hand a squeeze. "See you in a few, dear." And like that she was gone. Rachel remained in her place thinking about how she didn't want anyone else to have Quinn's attention either.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Another short one, sorry, you guys. I promise a nice long update soon that has a lot of progression in it. Reviews are always loved and welcomed. Tell me what you liked or hated or whatever. Enjoy!

"So what are you doing, Berry?" Santana asked as she entered the choir room.

"Santana, you scared me," Rachel put her hand over her chest, "you are awfully early."

"Yeah, I know," the cheerleader sauntered over and sat in the chair next to the diva. "I asked you a question."

"I'm waiting for Glee to begin and looking over my solos and duets list," she gestured to the notepad on her lap.

"That isn't what I meant, I meant with—" she paused and glanced at the notepad, "wait, you have a list already?"

"Of course!" Rachel smiled, "I have a list of potential duets I could and possibly would ever do with any member of the glee club! You never know what kind of crazy assignment Mr. Schuester might assign that will leave me paired up with one of our fellow members."

"Wow, that is just," Santana snickered, "insanely dorky."

"I thought you were supposed to be nice to me now," she crossed her arms.

"Q may have some strange fixation with you, but it doesn't mean I won't point out the obvious," she grabbed the notepad off of Rachel's legs before she could notice. "And this most certain is dorky." She read over the list.

"Santana!" She shrieked, "That is for me only."

"This is very interesting, interesting choices, Berry." The cheerleader continued to read. "Hm, 'Take Me or Leave Me' I'd actually do that with you!"

"You know Rent?" Rachel asked surprisingly.

"It's Quinn's favorite," she ducked her head feeling a little embarrassed.

"I knew that, we watched it together once," the diva thought back to the fun they'd had. "It was so much fun, we even sang a long some."

"Look," Santana stood up and put the notepad in the chair she had been sitting in, "I don't want to hear about your pillow fight fun." Her tone changing, "this brings me back to my question, what do you think you're doing?"

"Could you please clarify?" She asked as she peered up at the cheerleader.

"With Quinn, what do you think you're doing? Because I hope you know that if you hurt her—"

"I wouldn't hurt her," she said.

"And what about this date I hear about with Sam?" Santana questioned.

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" Rachel raised her voice just in time for Finn to enter the room.

"Got a problem, Santana?" He asked.

"With you, Finnocence?" She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "You better believe I do, it's that you seem to still talk to me no matter how many times I tell you that it is exhausting to simply even look at you."

Finn stood for a moment with his customary confused look on his face before firing back, "Why were you talking to Rachel?"

"Please, tell me how this is your business…" Santana trailed off.

"Because you are just messing with her and she doesn't need that," He explained.

"Finn, could you—" Rachel began but was hushed when Santana held up a hand, her back to Rachel.

"It's cool, Berry," she glanced over her shoulder, "I got this." She crossed the room to stand in front of Finn, face to face. "The only one around here who keeps hurting her is you," she spat, "at least I'm always honest with her. More than you can say, and I know that to be a fact. Berry and I may not have the best track history, but I'm pretty sure you're the one who keep screwing her over time after time."

"You don't know the first thing about her," he said.

"Really? I think I know enough. We've gone to the same schools since kindergarten. She ate lunch with me today, which I bet you didn't know that, did you?" He shook his head. "Berry isn't so bad when she isn't rambling on about show tunes or animal sweaters or something."

"When do I ever talk about animal sweaters?" Rachel asked.

"Not the point!" She turned to Rachel and said before returning her attention to the boy in front of her. "Finally, Berry or not, I talk to whoever the hell I like. You can stomp around your big ogre self in other's lives, but not mine. So stay the hell out." She turned around and sat with a seat in between her and Rachel.

Finn looked at Rachel for help, but she only looked at Santana and smiled. The boy took his seat in the back of the class and stared at the back of their heads.

"Thank you, Santana."

"Please, let's just forget about it," she shook her head dismissively. Santana glanced up to see Brittany and Quinn walk in, "oh, thank god." Brittany took her seat next to Santana, and Quinn took the seat between her two friends.

"S," they shared a nod. She turned her head to Rachel, "Hey, you."

"Hi," was all Rachel could manage as blush crept onto her cheeks.

"You going to sing for me today?" Quinn asked, Santana giggled next to her and the blonde swatted her arm. She leaned into Rachel and placed her mouth close to her ear, "don't let Santana get to you, okay?"

Rachel's entire body was full of chills, "she's not so bad actually."

Quinn pulled back and gave the latino cheerleader a smirk, who grimaced in return, and then said to the brunette, "you don't say…"

"Rachel," both girls' attention was brought to the front where they had failed to notice Sam standing there until he spoke.

"Hey, Sam," she offered a polite smile.

"Are you ready for our date tomorrow?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Told you so," Santana half coughed and half said. Rachel shot her a glare and Quinn sat awkwardly in between them.

"Can we talk about that after Glee, actually?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course," he looked at the floor. "I'll meet you near your locker," and then he went to sit next to Finn. Both boys look at the group of girls sitting at the front of the class now.

The tension at this point was very thick. Rachel knew how Quinn must feel about him using the word date as she had assured her it wasn't. "Quinn—"

"Don't, it's cool," the blonde said while looking at Santana for some type of guidance.

"Alright, today we are going to break up into our duet partners to work on our expressive solos," Mr. Schuester interrupted the low chatter of the group of kids. "Then early next week maybe we'll perform a few."

"You mean someone besides Rachel gets to perform a solo?" Mercedes questioned with sarcasm.

"That's funny, Mercedes, because I was thinking the same thing about you," Quinn looked up at the girl. "Last time I checked it seemed like you and Kurt are the ones who are always complaining about getting Rachel getting solos, but every time you guys get one you are pretty tight lipped."

Before the girl had a chance to fire back Mr. Schuester spoke up, "you're probably right, Quinn." He walked over to the board and wrote "solos" off to the right corner and underlined it. "And that is why you'll be going first!" He wrote her name down under it. She hadn't planned on that happening and wasn't particularly excited for it either. The cheerleader pursed her lips and nodded at her teacher.

"You'll nail it!" Rachel whispered.

"Okay, guys, let's break up, original spots with original partners," Finn began to speak up, "no exceptions, Finn."

"Well, Rach," Quinn stood up and smoothed out her cheerios uniform.

"Hm?" The brunette questioned.

"Want to go get ice cream after class? I know a place that has vegan ice cream," she added the last bit before the diva could question.

"Certainly, that sounds nice," Rachel gazed up at Quinn with full eyes.

The blonde tucked a piece of brunette chestnut locks behind the other girls ear, Rachel leaned into the girl's touch. "That's good because" she ran the back of her hand along Rachel's cheek, "last one to the auditorium is buying!" Before Rachel could say a thing Quinn was sprinting out of the classroom.

"Go, Rachel, go!" Brittany shouted while clapping her hands and fist pumping. The diva took off after her in a hurry. The whole room of kids were left either in giggles or confused faces. Santana smiled at Brittany wearily.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I tried to churn this one out faster since I've been lacking, it's a bit longer than the more recent ones. This post is dedicated to JustFitched because your review totally made me say "aw!" out loud. Very sweet, thank you very much. I love all of y'alls reviews. I can never get enough. This is definitely a reader driven fan fic, or as much as I can, I like to please. But definitely it's all got a general idea I've had since the beginning. I'm not even sure how long it'll end up being, but I'm happy to keep writing as long as y'all read. Enjoy, folks!

"Quinn?" Rachel walked into the dark auditorium to meet silence. "Quinn… Where are you?" She stepped out onto the stage as she heard the door click shut. The sounds of each step she took echoed through the large hall. She typically felt most at peace on stage, but in the moment she felt slightly unsure. "Quinn, this simply is not funny at all." She was starting to get slight anxiety as she stepped further out onto the dark stage, her hands reaching out in front of her. "I still have that rape whistle!"

"Boo!" Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear from behind.

"AH!" Rachel screamed as arms were wrapped around her and she jumped back into them. Both girls tumbled backwards onto the ground.

"Oof, this ground is not soft," Quinn said as she sat up. The brunette was now sitting sideways in the other girl's lap. "You okay?" She asked giggling.

"You scared me," Rachel's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Just having a little fun," she flashed her strongest smile smoothing the diva's mess of hair. Both girls began to giggle and Quinn buried her face in Rachel's shoulder. "You carry a rape whistle?"

"Don't you mock me, Quinn Fabray!" the diva huffed as she gave the girl a light push and stood up. After stomping her foot she looked down at the smiling blonde and couldn't help but crack a smile herself. As a peace offering she held her hand out to help her friend off of the floor, which she gladly took. "So, I had an idea."

"That seems dangerous," Quinn giggled as she dusted herself off.

"If you don't want to hear then that is fine," Rachel turned. "Good day, Quinn," she stated before beginning to walk away into the dark in typical Rachel Berry Storm Out fashion.

"Hey, Rach, come on," the blonde pleaded running after her with her ponytail bouncing side to side, "I was kidding." She grabbed her wrist and twisted her softly around to face her. Quinn quickly caught that Rachel had an evil smirk on her face. "You jerk!" She lightly pushed her.

"Can you get the lights?" Rachel asked as the cheerleader retreated in her own fit. They had to stand insanely close to be able to see one another and it was starting to get to Rachel. It was hard for her to process her thoughts and she had plans for this afternoon. In the middle of her musings the lights flipped on, illuminating the auditorium they both knew so well. As Rachel's watched Quinn saunter over to her she felt her knees begin to buckle. The cheerios uniform really was something else. It clung to all the important areas, as the girl's hips swayed back and forth. She wasn't a stranger to noticing these things; she'd always been raised to believe that sexuality was fluid. She hadn't exactly thought that she'd ever be interested in the same sex, but it was hard to deny the beauty in front of her. Quinn was definitely easy on the eyes.

"Like what you see, Berry?" The cheerleader's words pulled her out of her musing, and she immediately blushed. Rachel's blush made the blonde feel a similar way and they both shuffled in their spots awkwardly. "So, what was this idea of yours?"

"Oh, right! Okay, so I was thinking about you in class today," Rachel eyes hide went wide, "you, and - and, about our friendship. And I think we could benefit a lot by starting over."

"Starting over…" Quinn drawled slowly.

"Yes!"

"It doesn't work like that Rachel, the way I treated you…"

"If I can get over it, then you should let me. I am telling you that the best way for me to deal with the past, and to move on, would be a fresh beginning." Rachel reasoned.

"That is what you want?" The diva nodded. "That is what will make you happy?" Again, another nod. "I see." Quinn turned around and walked away.

Rachel turned and looked into the auditorium. She was left a bit dumbfounded until she heard the cheerleader's sneakers squeaking on the stage. A tap came on her shoulder, which she turned to.

"Hi," Quinn held out her hand, "I'm Quinn Fabray," flashing a huge smile.

The brunette laughed and took Quinn's hand in hers. "Hello, Miss Fabray, it's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled in return, "I'm Rachel Berry."

"Rachel Berry," the blonde pulled Rachel closer to her, "you have very soft hands."

"Well, thank you," she felt a tingle everywhere.

"It's my pleasure," Quinn finally let go of the girl's hand and too a step back. "So, please, tell me about yourself."

"Me?" She pointed to herself. "Well, I really love performing."

"Do you?" Quinn smiled. "Will you sing for me then?"

"And here we are."

"Here we are, Rach," the blonde took her hand and led her to the end of the stage. "Where we should have been all along."

"Sometimes," she shook her head, "almost always I never know what to say in reply to you."

"Is that a good thing?" Quinn asked.

"You have a way with words," Rachel nodded.

"As long as you're happy," she smiled, "now it's your turn." The blonde leaped off the stage and took a seat in the front row crossing her legs.

"Okay, I think I've got one," the singer walked over to the CD player on the side of the stage and pressed play. The music softly starts to fill the auditorium. The sound of a piano playing perfect notes, that eventually is accompanied with a perfect voice.

_I'm losing myself trying to compete with everyone else / Instead of just being me don't know where to turn I've been stuck in this routine / I need to change my ways instead of always being weak_

Quinn sits mesmerized, as she typically is when Rachel sings in front of her. Before she had crafted a relationship with the singer she had always had to mindfully keep herself in check whenever she performed for the Glee club. More than one time she caught herself, or worse Santana caught her, mooning over the girl's performances.

_I don't wanna be afraid, I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today / And know that I'm okay cause everyone's perfect in unusual ways / So you see, I just wanna believe in me_

Rachel was becoming more and more vulnerable as the song continued. She had her arms out to her side originally but she now found herself wrapping herself with them. The cheerleader had never seen Rachel seem so vulnerable. She had always thought of her as an overly confident person, but everyone has his or her moments it seemed.

_The mirror can lie, doesn't show you what's inside / and it, it can tell you you're full of life / It's amazing what you can hide just by putting on a smile_

This side of the diva was one that not many saw, if anyone, and Quinn could tell that. She couldn't believe how lucky she must be. After everything that happened she was now sitting here being allowed to witness vulnerable beauty at it's finest. A million different moments flashed through her mind, times when Mercedes or Kurt stole a solo from the diva, or Santana (or herself sadly) called her man hands, or when Finn laughed at a joke instead of standing up for his (at the time) girlfriend. Those moments that Rachel Berry, being the very best Rachel Berry she knew to be, held her chin up and put on a smile. But Quinn realized that her smile of a poker face wasn't going to fool her anymore, and she wasn't sure it ever did.

_I'm quickly finding out I'm not about to break down, not today / I guess I always knew that I had all the strength to make it through_

_This girl is tough_, Quinn thought. She had always known it, but looking at the girl pour her heart out on the stage made the respect for her grow. Quinn wasn't so strong, and she knew it. She put up a great front, but at the end of the day she knew she used people to cope with her insecurities, something she had been trying to change.

_Not gonna be afraid, I'm going to wake up feeling beautiful today / And know that I'm okay cause everyone's perfect in unusual ways / So you see, now, now I believe in me _

Rachel put her arms down to her side and sang the final line out with so much confidence:

_Now I believe in me_

Silence fell between the two girls. The music went quiet and Rachel was staring at her feet. "So?"

"I believe in you," Quinn said softly.

"Yeah?" With the smile that Rachel expressed Quinn wasn't sure she needed to turn the lights on anyway. She sprang from her seat and hopped up onto the stage. Bringing her hands to the diva's.

"I want you to wake up feeling beautiful," she explained. The brunette's soft giggle was quiet. "What? I'm being serious."

"I know you are, Quinn, and I appreciate it," Rachel pulled her hands from the other girls. It was the blonde's turn to sigh and look to the ground. "So what are you going to sing in Glee Monday?" Rachel went and sat at the end of the stage with her legs hanging off the edge.

"I'm not sure," she said, staying standing where they both just were, feeling slightly rejected. "I have a weekend to think something up."

"You should accompany yourself on the piano."

"I don't know," she shook her head, "in front of everyone?"

"Absolutely, although you aren't a Billy Joel or say Elton John, but I believe tbat you have a large amount of talent, I would know, I'm very talented myself," the blonde giggled at Rachel's backhanded compliment. Those were a Berry signature item. "Plus I love watching you perform like that."

Quinn stopped in her tracks, feeling her breath hitch. She walked over and sat next to Rachel on the stage. "You do?" Hating that she sounded so vulnerable, she looked to the floor.

"Absolutely, it's when I knew I had to know you better, I just had to."

Quinn cleared her throat, "I'm going to go use the rest room." She hopped off the stage, "why don't you meet me back in the choir room?" Before Rachel could answer she took off.

* * *

"Hey, superstar!" Rachel heard as she leaned over to get a drink from the water fountain in the hallway. She flashed the boy a half smile and finished getting her drink.

"Hello, Samuel," she turned to him and said.

"So, you wanted to talk about tomorrow?" He said as he leaned on the lockers.

"Yes, about that," she treaded carefully in the conversation, "I want to make sure we are on the same page."

"What page is that?" He could be a little slow sometimes, but he meant well.

Taking a deep breath she plunged into the idea in her head, "well, you called it a date earlier and I'm just not sure I am ready for that kind of thing after what just happened with Finn. Also, my feelings are in a lot of places right now and I'd hate to see you get hurt in the wake of my confusion. You are the sweetest guy I've ever known and I'd love to have your friendship." She sighed, "I will understand if that is not satisfactory for you as I have not had a lot of luck with that in the past."

"Ahhh," Sam said, "Finn."

"Yes, he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of us simply being friends when we broke up and when I was with Jesse."

"Jesse, I've heard about that guy too," he nodded.

"I'm sure you have," she agreed.

"You know, Rachel, you deserve a lot more than you get. You have all of these guys in your life that are just awful," he shifted his weight off of the locker and put his hands on her upper arms. "You're a really amazing girl. I want to show you that all guys aren't awful. See, when I make a promise, in my world, it's law," he smiled, dropping his arms. "So here is what I offer to you, I promise that I'll be the best guy I can be for you. When you need me, I'm here. I can be your best friend, I can be your only friend, I can be the friend you force to see chick flicks, I will gladly sing duets with you, and I'll be whatever you want me to be. You deserve all of it and better. Deal?" He asked hand held his hand out for her to shake.

Rachel was taken back. Sam was surprised when the tiny brunette jumped on him and wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Samuel, you're so amazing."

"You're really strong for such a little thing!" He chuckled as she continued to squeeze.

"I have a morning work out regimen, you know," she explained pulling out of her embrace winking.

"Do you now?" Sam laughed.

"You are laughing at me! I do." Rachel punched him on the shoulder, "I could probably out run you, Mr. Football Man!"

"Mr. Football Man?"

"Forget you, Sam Evans!" She huffed.

"You're a handful, Rachel Berry, I like it."

"Thank you!" The brunette cocked her head to the side pursing her lips, "I think." She laughed, "So does your offer still stand for tomorrow though? To hang out?"

"Definitely! I was hoping you'd still want to go!" He smiled largely, "I got us reservations at the best art table they have!"

"Your enthusiasm is refreshing," she giggled. They both began to walk towards the choir room.

"All jokes aside, I want you to be able to talk to me, okay?" He said as he opened the door for her.

"I appreciate that, Sam. I might take you up on that," she said smiling. Her smile quickly faded as she saw the scene unfolding in front of her:

An absolutely terrifying Quinn was being held back by an equally pissed looking Santana; feet away Finn sat on the ground clutching his nose, blood seeping through his fingers.

"What the hell is going on?" Sam exclaimed. Rachel rushed over to Quinn who was standing with Santana examining her hand.

"Quinn…" She said softly, looking at the two cheerleaders.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH," Finn yelled as he pushed him self off the ground, launching himself towards the group of girls.

"Don't you even think about it," Sam said and stopped the brunette boy by pushing him back into Puck.

"Yeah, dude, what are you thinking? You never touch girls." Puck said.

"Can you tell me what is happening?" Rachel asked calmly, but Quinn simply shook her head. "Come on, it's me, tell me." She surveyed the room, Tina sat in shock with Brittany in the back of the room, and Mike was now over with the boys trying to defuse the situation.

"You're going to regret that, Quinn. You stupid bitch." Finn yelled.

"You're kidding me, right? You need to back off right now, Finn," Sam squared himself up to Finn, staring him in the eyes. "Now sit down before I have Santana unleash Quinn on you _again_." Sam nodded at Puck and they both pushed him into a seat.

"Santana?" Rachel looked towards the Latina cheerleader.

"They got into an argument, Finn pushed Quinn and I was about to step in when Quinn clocked him right in the nose," she spit out quickly despite the head cheerleader's glare she was receiving. "What, Q? It was bad ass. I'm proud."

"What'd he say?" Rachel asked while she peered over her shoulder at the boys. Finn had his head tilted back trying to slow the blood gushing from his possibly broken nose. The guys were all huddled around him, but Sam and Puck kept their eyes on the girls. Sam gave her a nod and whispered to Puck.

"Uh—" Santana mumbled.

"Don't you dare," Quinn growled in a deep voice.

Just then Mr. Schuester walked in with Mercedes and Kurt in toe. "Someone want to explain to me what is going on in here?" Every shifted uncomfortably, except for Brittany who stood up holding her hand up. "Yes, Brittany."

"Finn said mean stuff about Quinn and then Sam, so they were yelling," she began.

"Britt!" Santana yelled.

"No, Santana, I want to hear this," Mr. Schuester commanded holding his hand up to stop her.

"Okay! Then Finn said something about Rachel, which I thought was mean because Quinn really likes Rachel so that was just mean to do." Quinn looked away from the brunette as soon as their eyes met. "So she said that he needed to stop, and he pushed her!"

"OH HELL TO THE NO!" Mercedes shouted and began to approach Finn but was stopped by the teacher's arm.

"It's okay, Mercedes!" Brittany said excitedly, "because then Quinn punched him right in the nose!" After this the three being told the story gasped. Rachel's eyes were now three times their typical size. "It's true! Then he was going after her but Sam stopped him because he has nice muscles." At this Sam chuckled and blushed.

"I see," Mr. Schuester nodded, "Thank you, Brittany."

"You're welcome, Mr. Schue! I love telling stories," Brittany clapped excitedly and walked over to Santana and the girls.

"Finn, can I speak with you out in the hallway?" the teacher asked, upon reviewing Finn's nose he added, "or maybe in the nurse's office." He cringed and the boys all walked Finn over to the door with Mr. Schuester. He turned and glared at the cheerleaders before exiting the room.

"Damn, Quinn, I didn't think you had it in you," Mercedes said as she took a seat followed by Kurt.

"And for Rachel at that!" Kurt added.

"Rachel deserves someone to stand up for her," Sam said as he re-entered the room.

"I bet you're heart broken that it wasn't you, huh Sam?" Santana said with a smirk.

"No," he shook his head taking a seat in the front row, "I think Quinn did a good job on her own. Girl can pack a punch." He smiled proudly.

"Okay, Quinn and I are going to the bathroom to run some water on her hand," Rachel said. "You guys feel free to gossip, I'm sure you will."

"I'm fine, Rach," The blonde pleaded as Rachel grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the exit.

The diva stopped in her track and turned to the blonde, "that wasn't up for discussion."

The two girls could hear the "oooh"s from their fellow glee club members, and mocking whip crack sounds from Santana as they left the room into the hall. Rachel didn't speak to Quinn until they got into the bathroom when she let go of the girl's arm. She walked over to the sink, slowly turning on the faucet, and looked at herself in the mirror sighing.

"Look, I know you're mad at me…" Quinn began.

"Come 'ere" she summoned the blonde with a pair of sad full eyes. Quinn slowly shuffled towards her. "Let me see it," she added. Quinn lifted her hand up and placed it in Rachel's hands. She closed her eyes as the brunette sighed, "Oh, babe," and slowly touched the sensitive hand. She flinched at the touch. "I'm sorry," Rachel spoke so softly.

"It's okay."

"No, it isn't, Quinn. Why did you do this? Why would you do that?" Rachel's voice rose above the whisper they had established.

"Because he can't just get away with the way he is acting!" She snatched her hand out the girl's grasp. "He can't talk about you that way, he can say whatever he wants about me, but I wont sit around and hear him talk about. He never deserved you!" Quinn was now shouting and pacing the restroom; with a huff she kicked the trash can and felt tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey, hey now," Rachel walked over to the blonde, "can you calm down a little, please?" Quinn didn't seem to be listening to what Rachel was saying at this point. "HEY!" She shouted and grabbed the girl's shoulders. The brunette looked into the girl's eyes and found tears welling up and beginning to fall. "It's okay," she took her thumb and wiped away some of the tears that escaped.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you," Quinn choked out between tiny sobs.

"Don't apologize, it's fine," she shook her head, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. "Don't you apologize for defending me, I should be thanking you." They stood for a short while as Rachel rubbed soft circles on Quinn's back in an attempt to calm the crying girl. Once she had successfully brought down the other girl's emotions she said, "now, come here so I can run your hand under some cold water." The girls walked over to the sinks.

"Ow!" Quinn said as the brunette ran her hand under the water.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't go around punching people!" Rachel joked.

"Yeah, I guess that is true," she giggled lightly still sniffling tears away. "I'm sorry, Rachel."

"For what? I told you to not apologize for-"

"Everything. It isn't as easy as starting over for me, I have all of this guilt in her," she put her free hand over her heart. "I need you to know that I'm in this, and I take it very serious. You can't allow me to waltz into your life and everything just disappears."

"But I like the waltz."

"It's not funny, Rach," she sighed.

"But it's not like that."

"Everyone else apparently sees it as that, do you see the way they look at us? And then Finn, FINN!" She shouted, "he says that _you're_ using me to be popular. That we both deserve each other because we both have no care for other's feelings. He had the audacity to say that you're a heartless bitch."

"Is that all he said?"

"ALL HE SAID!" Quinn snatched her hand out of the water. "He can't say anything about you like that. You're the best person I know, he knows that too. Everyone does."

Rachel slowly turned off the faucet and leaned against the sink next to them. "Please don't punch anyone again, okay?"

"I can try, but he definitely deserved it." Quinn was analyzing her hand, which was puffy and swollen still. "How are you so calm about this?"

"Because for every awful thing Finn Hudson says about me I have you saying a ton of charming, swoon worthy things," she stated matter of factly. Quinn wasn't sure what to say, she stood like a statue.

The brunette pushed herself off of the sink and took the injured hand, raising it to her mouth, and lightly kissed the knuckles one by one. Quinn felt a shiver through every inch of her body, and a blush began to creep to her cheeks. Rachel peered up, dropping the hand, locking eyes, and said, "why can't everyone see this you?"

"Because no one was looking for it."

"But I was."

"You were," Quinn nodded. "You found me."


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Just a quick little chapter to tide you by. You'll be getting more soon, I promise! Thanks for all the reviews, believe me, the more the better. I love hearing what you like and dislike. This one didn't have a song in it, it almost feels empty doesn't it? ENJOY!

"My mom is going to be out of town this weekend," Quinn said while balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear getting ready for bed.

"Oh really? Going to have some awesome party?" Rachel asked with a giggle.

"Well, I think Santana is putting a little one together or something, I'm not sure," she explained.

"Oh," was all the brunette could muster.

"Hey," she paused, her voice assuming a softer tone than before, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I hope your party is a great success!" Rachel said with fake enthusiasm.

"Well, you're coming, aren't you, Rachel?" Quinn asked quietly, almost afraid she'd hear a no in response.

A giant smile spread over the girl's face, "is that an invitation?"

"Of course you are," Quinn giggled. "Anything that I'm involved in you should assume that you're invited."

"I try to not assume," the brunette laid on her bed staring at the ceiling, "you know what people say about those who assume…."

"Sure do," she paused and began again while petting her dog Nomar lying soundly on her bed. "It makes an ass out of Rachel Berry!" Quinn heard a gasp on the other end, which is all it took before she burst into a fit of laughter. After moments of silent Quinn thought she might be in trouble, "Rachel? Come on, it was just a joke." Still nothing. "Babe? I'm sorry, come on."

Laughter echoed through the blonde's ear from the other end, "you should have heard yourself."

"Well, I didn't want you to get mad at me and not talk to me for a week," Quinn reasoned. But she didn't want to sound too attached, "We have that project and such."

"Right, that we do." She still continued to laugh at the cheerleader. "It's all about the project."

"Well, who are we fooling?" Quinn asked, "We both know it's more than that." Rachel's voice caught in her throat and she sat stunned. "Well, Rach, I should get some sleep, I've got practice in the morning."

"Yes, you need ample time to get yourself rejuvenated for a long day ahead of you," the brunette rambled.

"Oh, I get it," she paused, "you're saying I need beauty sleep? Call me ugly why don't you!" Quinn scoffed jokingly.

"Quinn, you and I both know you're the most beautiful girl at McKinley high." Rachel spoke quickly.

"Flattering, but I don't agree. That title belongs to this little brunette lady, she's absolutely beautiful."

"Oh?" Rachel prompted.

"Miss Rachel Berry," Quinn smiled. She heard a sharp gasp followed by the muffled sound of coughing. "You okay over there?"

"Yes, perfectly fine. Well, bed time!" The brunette spit out amongst all of her blush on her face.

"But Rach…"

"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel whispered.

"That's my girl. Night, Rachel," she smiled.

"Goodnight, you."

* * *

The next day went by fairly quickly for Rachel she found. There was no big drama or anything, just about as normal of a day as possible. In between classes she took moments to realize how happy she was that she was no longer being called man hands or being slushied. Life had drastically changed since the blonde had waltzed in. She had hoped that could form a friendship, but what had been progressing was beyond anything Rachel could have ever hoped for. The day she approached Mr. Schuester about the duets project she knew that this whole thing was a long shot, and sure she knew that Quinn could be a handful, but she was making progress.

Quinn could be so hard headed. The blonde thought that everyone was always disappointed in her, or leaving her. It was a sad reality that she thought she lived in, but Rachel really wanted to prove her wrong. If anything so one day they could be happy together… As friends. The last part was important for Rachel to add whenever she daydreamed about the blonde. Although she had had many crazy crushes in her short time in high school, Mr. Schuester topping the list in most embarrassing, this was one she knew she could not go along with. Not after she'd worked so hard to craft their friendship, but she couldn't deny the pitter patter of her heart when they touched, or the giant smile she kept plastered on her face whenever the blonde was around. This is how she got herself into a pickle…

"I'm sorry, I'm being so rude!" Rachel exclaimed as she put her phone back into her pocket. "Quinn was inviting me to stay over after the party tonight! I informed her that you were going to be in attendance as well." He nodded.

"So, Superstar," Sam started as he painted the ceramic coffee cup he was making for his father, "what's going on with you and my ex?"

Rachel stopped her movements and glared up at the boy, "what do you mean?"

"Well, I just noticed you two are getting very close…"

"Is that a problem? I refuse to ever choose between the two of you, Samuel. She thinks very highly of her, if you have an issue with it then we should perhaps get that out in the air now instead of waiting until a problem arises," she explained.

He laughed and shook his head, "no problem, just curiosity! I think it's cool that you guys are friends, she needs a good friend like you."

"Oh," she looked down, "sorry."

"No, it's fine. You aren't used to being around guys who don't make a big deal out of every single thing, I get that," Sam shrugged.

"Well, I look forward to the change in trend!" Silence fell between the two.

"I see you're making a gift," he said slowly.

"I am indeed," she nodded.

"For who?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Quinn, she said to me the other day that she has no type of writing utensil holder, so I'm making her this," she held up her half painted pencil cup. "See, here," Rachel turned it to one side, "it has a pom-pom on it that I'm painted red for the cheerios," she turned it a bit. "And on this side there are some musical notes because music is what has brought us together!" Rachel explained enthusiastically and turned it a bit more, "and here I've got some piano keys because her piano playing is my favorite," turning once again, "and finally a golden star, they are kind of my thing!" She placed the cup on the table and continued painting with a concentrated look on her face.

"Oooooh kay," he chuckled, "nothing is going on there at all!"

Rachel was growing increasingly concerned that he couldn't just let this go. She stared at the art in her hand and tried to not look the boy in the eyes. "Maybe I should have done something else, she'll probably think this is stupid anyway."

"No way, Quinn will love that!" He put his hand over hers.

"You think so?"

"I know so, you made it. She's totally into you," Sam went back to his own work.

Rachel's eyes were now four times what they were before. "Into me…" she said calmly.

"She came over the night before I came over that Saturday. Quinn was a crazy lady, tears and all. Telling me I needed to check on you, make sure you were okay and all of this stuff. I agreed because I wanted to go see you anyway, but yeah, she was really concerned about you," he finished.

"She was crying?"

"Yeah, a real mess. We talked about our break up a bit, she apologized, then we started talking about you," he explained.

"Me?"

"She told me that she had a soft spot for you or something. I'm not good at this chick stuff, you know? I may be pretty, but I'm not dumb though, she had this look in her eyes. At first it made me kind of sad cause I'd never seen it when we were together, but everything happens for a reason, Rachel." He wiped his hands on a paper towel. "It's like you make her want to be better, or something."

"I see…" Rachel shut her eyes tightly.

"Did I say something wrong?" He looked confused.

"No, Samuel, you didn't at all." She looked up at him smiling to reassure, "I'm just a little surprised is all."

"Surprised?" The blonde boy laughed. "She moons over you all the time, not to mention she literally got into a fight with Finn yesterday for you."

"That isn't funny! I was so angry with her," the brunette pouted.

"Oh, whatever, Superstar," Sam shook his head, "you loved it."

"I did not!" She slapped his arm.

"Woah! You're going to get paint on me, watch it there!"

"You're such a baby," Rachel insisted.

"This is fun," Sam sighed.

"It really is, thank you for extending the invitation still," she smiled.

"Of course, I'm actually excited to have a friend here. The only one I've thought I had was Finn, but that didn't really work out."

"Sorry about that," the girl frowned.

"Oh no, it isn't your fault," he patted her arm. "Any guy who would dare lay a hand on a girl is no friend of mine, Rachel, especially Quinn."

"You really care for her," she smiled.

"I do, she's a great girl. One of the best, so take care of her," he squinted at the cup he was painting.

"Well," Rachel stumbled, "I don't think that's really my job."

"It might be, who knows?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"What's your agenda here, Sam?" She questioned.

"I don't really have one, I just feel like I'm a good outside view on it. I've talked to Quinn about it some too."

Rachel coughed loudly, "what!"

"Totally!" He stood up, "well, I'm going to go wash my hands." As he went to walk away she grabbed his arm.

"Wait, no! You can't just walk away." She pulled him back onto his stool, "so what'd she say?"

Sam laughed and shook his head, "but if it's not a big deal or anything like you say, then what does it matter?" He flashed her a giant smile.

"Well, it doesn't. I mean, it doesn't matter, I'd just like to know."

"Oh really?" His smile still present.

"Just forget it," and with that she stormed off.

He sighed and looked down at the pencil cup sitting on the table, carefully painted perfectly.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Okay, another shorter chapter. I just wanted to get it out there. More from the party in the next chapter. Comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

"Rachel, will you just talk to me please?" Sam said as he put the car in park in front of Quinn's house.

"I have been, Samuel," she unbuckled her seat belt.

"Come on, I mean besides a simple thank you or okay," he placed his hand on her forearm. "I'm really sorry if I upset you."

Rachel sighed and looked down at the cup in her hands, "it's a stupid thing to think, Sam, idiotic even."

"What is?" He furrowed his brows.

"She is Quinn Fabray," the brunette said dejected. "Head cheerleader Quinn Fabray at that."

"Yeah, and she is your friend, we both know Quinn is so much more than what everyone else sees."

"She _is_ so much more than what everyone sees, that is the problem. She is like this force, she blows right through you. All she has to do is glance in your direction and you can feel it, and I don't mean that in the cold glare she gives at school. It's like soft hazel swirls her eyes present to you, and the way her lips slowly spread to reveal her wonderful smile. And the way she listens, she listens to everyone, and they don't even know it. She is so much more than anyone gives her credit for, even me or you. Why would someone like her…" Rachel's rambling slowly faded off.

"Be interested in someone like you?" He asked sadly.

"Exactly," she agreed quietly.

"I just don't agree though," Sam added after a moment of silence.

"Don't agree with…"

"You're Rachel Berry, Super star Rachel Berry. You are head strong, committed, dedicated, driven, gorgeous, and talented. _You_ listen to people when everyone else thinks you only listen to yourself. People write you off as selfish, when what they don't know is that you asked Mr. Schuester to pair you up with Quinn for the duet project to mend the drama between you two for the sake of the club," as he said the last part Rachel gasped. "Yeah, Mr. Schue accidentally told me, but it's cool, I won't tell Quinn. But the point is that when you look at the two of you separate you wouldn't think it'd be a match, and then the two of you together make complete sense. I don't know how but you do. Quinn is completely intrigued by you, and definitely interested."

Rachel sat stunned in silence for a long while. "Well, it's just not going to happen, okay? Can we drop it now, please?"

"Okay, Rach. I'm sorry," he shrugged.

"Thank you for being a good friend, Sam," Rachel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I can't imagine that discussion making you feel very happy."

"I'm okay, I'm just worried about you ladies," Sam smiled and unbuckled. "Let's get inside before Quinn has to come calling for us."

They exited the car and walked up to the front door, before either of them could knock the door swung open. Santana stood arms crossed, "nice of you guys to show up, how was your date?"

"It wasn't a date, Santana," Sam was the first to speak up.

"Can we come in now?" Rachel asked sheepishly.

"Sure, while you're at it, can you find Quinn because she saw you guys through the window and ran upstairs," Santana said with a bitch tone, but they both felt the concern below her fake persona. Rachel immediately bounded up the stairs leaving wondering eyes and confused faces downstairs.

"Who wants to play a game?" Rachel heard Santana shout at the crowd as she searched out the upset girl. She began knocking on the various doors in the hallway, which made it seemed like she'd never find her friend; this house was bigger than she had anticipated. "Quinn?" She shouted down the hall.

"Just go away, please," Quinn shouted form behind a door.

"Ah-ha!" Rachel exclaimed as she rushed over to the door at the end of the hall. She turned the door handle slowly and entered to see Quinn lying on her bed. The blonde was dressed in a blue and yellow dress that even looked cute when clinging to her as she laid curled in a ball. Rachel slowly crept to the side of the bed, walking around she stood next to the blonde. When she looked down she was met with tear filled eyes. Her heart immediately ached.

"Hi," Rachel said softly as she knelt down in front of the other girl. Quinn's response was simply to flash a sad half smile. "What's going on?" She asked as she ran her fingers through the blonde's hair. With the contact Quinn closed her eyes and leaned into the brunette's touch. The brunette leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Nothing," she sighed out.

"It clearly isn't nothing, Quinn, you are upset…"

Quinn shrugged off the hand and rolled over, leaving her back to Rachel. Rachel sighed lightly and put her head down on the bed.

"I can't do it, Rachel," Quinn sobbed with her face in a pillow.

"I know, okay, I know," the brunette whispered softly.

"What do we do, what can we do?" she asked heartbroken.

"I, I –" Rachel stood up and sat next to the blonde on her bed placing a soft hand on her shoulder. "I don't know."

"How was your date?" Quinn asked.

"It wasn't a date!" The brunette exclaimed, "Why do people keep calling it that?"

"Because that's how it seems, Rach!" the blonde yelled as she sat up, making them face-to-face. "Especially considering you kissed him in the car."

"It was on the cheek," Rachel was now extremely frustrated. "Maybe you shouldn't be snooping on me, and you should just trust me for a second." She got up and walked to the other end of the room, arms folded over her chest as tears threatened to fall.

Quinn sat dumbfounded as to what she should say. Rachel was right, she almost always was right. As she heard a quiet sob leave the brunette's mouth she hopped off the bed and rushed over to her. Wrapping her arms around Rachel's small body, she held the girl as she sobbed. "Shhh, it's okay," Quinn attempted to calm her down.

"Is it?" Rachel turned around sharply and caught the blonde off guard. "What is okay? Can you tell me?"

"Well," Quinn took a few steps back and looked down at the ground. "You and I are okay…"

"Are we?"

"I can't do this, Rach," she whispered.

"I know you can't," the brunette sighed. Tears were falling down her cheek and she couldn't stop them.

"Please don't leave me…" Quinn's voice was the most delicate and frightened thing Rachel had ever heard.

"Babe," she rushed over and held her hand, "that's not going to happen."

As their eyes met Quinn spoke up, "I really wish I could… I don't know."

"I know."

"Everything is so," she couldn't find the words to finish her sentences. "You make me…" Quinn put her hands on her chest, feeling her heart beating heavily.

"I know."

"What do we do? Tell me what to do," Quinn squeezed Rachel's hand.

"We keep going on, day to day. I'll be here, and I'll hold your hand and tell you it's okay. I have no interest in being somewhere else," she explained softly.

"I can't ask you to wait," the blonde looked at her feet again. "There might not be anything to wait for…"

"You aren't," she pulls Quinn's face up with her index finger. "I'm not going anywhere," Rachel then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, placing her forehead against the other girl's.

"I want it so badly."

"Me too."

A single tear fell from Quinn's face and landed on their joined hands. They were so close that she could feel Rachel's breath against hers. She was so close, but so far and it was killing her. Why couldn't she just take what she wanted? It was right there. But she was scared, she was scared and stupid.

"I'm scared," Quinn whispered.

"Don't be scared, I'm right here," Rachel pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," the blonde cried.

"Don't be," the diva soothed the girl rubbing her hand in a soft circle on Quinn's back.

"So where do we go from here?" The cheerleader asked, as they pulled apart after a long while.

"We continue as we did before." Rachel leaned in so their foreheads met once more, Quinn's hand snaking it's way around Rachel's neck.

"I don't know if I can," she confessed.

"Then we'll figure it out on the way."

"We…" Quinn drew out the word.

"You aren't alone," Rachel said.

"You are the first person to ever make me feel like I'm not," she pulled and walked over to her mirror and began to straighten her hair.

"You're going to run."

"Rachel, where do I have to run to? In my world you're the only thing that's right…" The words hung heavily in the air.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Progress, progress, progress. I'll try to get another to you quick, but here is something. Comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Next chapter should have more music. Enjoy!

Quinn had a headache. She had a giant, monstrous headache. Maybe it was from the loud music, maybe it was from the pounding music, maybe it was from the alcohol she had consumed, but most likely it was from the stress and tears she left upstairs in her bedroom. She hadn't exactly intended on all of that, well, whatever that was. She was perfectly content with bottling it all up inside of her, just like she had done with every other emotion in her life. But when she saw them in the car, and Rachel lean in to her ex-boyfriend something simply snapped. And at this moment she felt that whatever Rachel had repaired in the bedroom might snap immediately as she saw the door open and a cocky grin enter the room, that cocky grin belonging to one Finn Hudson. Before she could even consider her next move Sam and Santana were at the door pulling the dark haired boy aside.

Rachel's eye immediately found Quinn's from across the room. She had something akin to panic and worry in her eyes, as Quinn's were full of anger. Seething, she stood where she was and attempted to listen to whatever it was that Mercedes was telling her about. The diva offered a sympathetic smile but it gave her no relief. He was in _her_ house. How dare he? After everything he's said recently it was amazing to her that he had the audacity to show up uninvited. A tiny glimpse of joy entered her though when she noticed the bruised and crooked nose he was sporting from her right hook. She was still very proud for this. While she was musing she had managed to lose Mercedes, who was now turned the other way talking to Kurt. Quinn's eyes wandered to where Rachel had been, but that space was now unoccupied. Everyone in the room seemed to be darting glances between where Sam and Santana were speaking with Finn, and to where she was standing. Before she could panic she felt a soft hand placed on the lower part of her back, she knew that touch. Turning to her left she was met face to face with the Rachel. The girl's smile lit up like the fourth of July, and this made Quinn's heart start to pick up in time. Quinn felt her whole body on fire from a simple touch; it was times like these that she was worried.

"Just ignore him, they'll take care of it," Rachel leaned forward and whispered into the blonde's ear. All Quinn could manage was to clear her throat and nod. She was so close to the girl's ear that she could feel her breath on her ear; Quinn's entire body was consumed in chills. Rachel was rubbing light circles on her lower back and still was in close proximity to her face. Glancing over she made the mistake of licking her lips and Rachel's chocolate eyes became fixated on her now glistening lips.

"Um, Q," she snapped her focus forward to find Santana standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. The head cheerleader automatically picked up on the girl's defensive cheerio stance and stood up straight.

"Yeah, S," she said apprehensively.

"Finnocence wants to talk to Rachel…" It was rare for Santana to seem worried at all, but with Quinn she cared more. Besides Brittany, Santana hadn't taken to caring for anyone in high school except for Quinn. They had been friends since elementary school and the latino girl didn't really find the need to befriend anyone else. Sure, she was nice to some of the kids in Glee, but she never went out of her way. Now she had to add Berry to her list of people she at least cared about a little, which she told herself, was only based on the admiration Quinn had for the girl. Brittany liked to argue that deep down Santana liked Rachel and cared about her on her own, which was probably true, but she'd never admit it. So until proven guilty, she continued to have Quinn's back, and leave it at that.

"You've got to be kidding me, there is no way—"

"Where is he?" Rachel asked, cutting off the blonde, stepping forward.

Quinn's head whipped so fast to face Rachel that someone could have sworn she'd have whip lash, "you're going to talk to him!" Quinn's voice seemed upset, betrayed, and the wounded puppy dogface only added to the yank on the diva's heart. She could hear her heart beat in her ears.

"I want him to leave, I want to enjoy my night, and if it'll get rid of him then I will." Quinn nodded at Rachel's reasoning, knowing that it made sense, but she still wasn't happy about it. As the brunette was lead away by Santana the blonde desperately grabbed out to Rachel's wrist.

Pulling her in she whispered in her ear, "if you need me, I'll be here."

Rachel's response was a simple smile and nod, and then she was gone.

She was led outside to find Finn sitting on the front steps of Quinn's house. As the door shut behind them, he turned to smile at Rachel. She didn't even bother giving him anything past a straight face.

"You came!" He immediately jumped up and stood in front of her, she nodded and gestured towards the bench on Quinn's front porch. They sat, as Santana stood near the door. "I want to talk," he began glancing at Santana, "_alone_."

Santana clenched her fists as Rachel said, "it's okay, Santana." The cheerleader nodded and headed inside.

"Why are you back in here?" Quinn asked immediately as her friend walked through the door.

"Berry told me to," she said, "she's a big girl, she can handle her own."

"I don't trust her with him," the blonde explained through clenched teeth.

"I know, Q, but let's just try and let her deal with it, okay? Then if it doesn't go well you can go all Kung Fu Panda on his ass."

"Really, S? Kung Fu Panda?" Quinn laughed.

"Look, Brittany made me watch it, she really likes pandas or something," the latino shrugged.

"Hey, Quinn," Sam walked up to their right.

"Hey, Sam," she said tentatively.

"So, I think Rachel has got a thing for you," He whispered to Quinn, but apparently loud enough because Santana spit her drink out in laughter.

"Shit, was that too loud?" he panicked.

"No, you're fine, it was just me, trouty mouth." She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder, "besides, those two have been making eyes at each for weeks. Ick," Santana dramatically convulsed.

"Anyway, what makes you say that, Sam?" Quinn was trying to steer the conversation away from Santana.

"We talked some tonight, and she is just really worried. I feel bad for her," he frowned.

"Worried about what?" the blonde girl prodded.

"That she isn't enough, or good enough or something. That you wouldn't be into a girl like her," Sam shook his head, "or something like that."

"Well, that's crazy! Q here is all about the argyle," Santana laughed.

"Santana, why don't you go find Brittany? I thought I saw her talking to Artie a bit ago…" And as easy as that the fellow cheerleader was gone. "Well, I appreciate the update, but you don't have to be some spy about it." Quinn said.

"I'm not, Quinn, I like Rachel. I want to be a good friend to her, and you," he smiled.

"Thanks, Sam," Quinn pulled him in for a hug.

…Meanwhile, outside:

"What do you want to talk about, Finn?"

"What'd I do wrong, Rachel?" He gave her his best puppy dog eyes, but it clearly did nothing for the girl as she scoffed in his face.

"Do we really have to ask this question?" Upon seeing his blank stare she knew that apparently they did. "Okay, well, the fact that you have to ask is something of the explanation. We never worked, Finn, it's that simple. But if we want to talk about where you were lacking in the boyfriend department it could be something along the lines of that you never defended me when people brutally made fun of me."

"One of those people being Quinn!"

"No, don't start with that. This isn't about her. You wanted to know why we didn't last for a longer period of time, and why we are no longer an item. The problems were there from the beginning. Another point, that you would pick football over our relationship, and to round it out, you lied to me about losing your virginity to Santana," she stuck her finger into Finn's chest. "Just to name a few."

"We are meant to be, Rachel," he grabbed the opposing hand and held it in his. She attempted to pull away but he hand her hand firmly in his.

"Finn, let go." She pleaded.

"You need to realize that Quinn is just going to hurt you," he said through clinched teeth.

"Quinn cares about me, and I'm not going to leave her. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me," Rachel continued trying to pull her hand away. "So just get over it!"

"Oh my god, are you stupid?" He shouted as he stood up. Rachel pulls her hand back in her lap just in time for him to pull her up by her arms. "Do you think she is going to like you or something? Do you have some crush on her or something?" He laughed loudly. "She will never be into you, not only is she straight, but she'd never be into someone like _you_!" He shook her slightly. Rachel closed her eyes, as his grip got stronger on her arms, the hurt beginning to intensify.

"Get your hands off of her NOW!" Finn heard accompanied with a slammed door, and then found a fuming Quinn Fabray next to him. Before he could even fight back she crashed into his arms standing between him and Rachel.

"Back off!" Finn yelled. "We are trying to talk."

"Get off my property right now, Finn. I swear if you come back I'll call the cops for assault." She gritted her teeth.

"You wouldn't," he challenged.

"Oh, but I gladly will. But let's get this straight," she grabbed his face by the cheeks with her right hand pulling him close to her face, "you will keep your hands off of Rachel. You will come nowhere near her. This is the final straw. You will never ever lay your hands on her again!" As she warned him she felt Rachel place her hands on Quinn's hips. When she ripped her hand from his face, shaking his head left to right.

He scoffed at her gave her a gentle push, but she didn't budge as Rachel held her up. "I will put my hands on whoever I want. And as for Rachel," he leaned to the side to look at the brunette, "we're meant to be." He winked at her. Before Rachel could even react Quinn shoved him off the porch into the bushes below them. He fell with a loud thud and Sam was immediately out the door.

"Keep your hands," she spoke sternly and slowly. "Off of my girl!" She yelled, grabbing Rachel's hand and stormed inside. Everyone stood stunned silent as the door slammed shut.

"Nothing to see here!" Quinn yelled and everyone snapped out of their shocked stance and continued what they were doing. The two girls exited the living room, through the kitchen, and onto the back porch. The blonde slumped down into one of the chairs and immediately put her face in her hands. She hadn't realized she was crying until she felt the hot tears on her face. Rachel stood need the door staring at the blonde in front of her. Quinn took a deep breath before meeting the brown orbs peering over at her. They stood like this for a long while, just staring into each other's eyes. Quinn wasn't sure what she was looking for: a question, a solution, hope, rejection, she wasn't sure at all. Rachel felt as though she was searching for the answer to who this girl was in front of her. In a month they had gone from enemies to best friends to god knows what. Quinn was the biggest enigma she had ever met, but yet deep down inside of her she felt like she always understood the girl.

"What's on your mind?" Rachel asked.

"Right this instant?" Quinn questioned as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yes, right this instant," she affirmed with a nod.

"Honestly?" She pushed on.

"Only ever honestly," the brunette nodded.

"That you look beautiful in the moonlight," the blonde shyly said as she looked at her bare feet on the deck. Blush quickly rushed to Rachel's face; raising a hand trying to hide it, she crossed the deck to take a seat next to the blonde. Their sides touched flush against each other and Rachel felt a shiver course through her body. "It's a little cold out here, huh?" Quinn asked.

"A bit, but it's so peaceful compared to in there…" the girl nodded in the direction of the house, which no longer had music blaring from, but both girls could hear the stern voice of Santana.

"Yeah, I just had to get out," Quinn rubbed her hands together. "I couldn't leave you in there because I needed to know you were okay…" She paused, "are you okay?" She asked facing the other girl.

"I'm okay."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked while resting her chin on Quinn's shoulder.

"I'm not sure," the blonde answered quietly.

"Talk to me," she said. "No rambling from me, I just want to hear what's going on in there," she pointed to her head.

"After talking in the bedroom, and everyone staring at me, at us, and then Finn showing up. I don't know. I don't care so much about everyone else, but you, you I care a lot about. More than I've cared about anyone, and I can't stop it. Then he put his hands on you, and I should have been there the whole time. But Santana was keeping me back from the window… I'm glad I came out when I did, I just couldn't take it anymore. How does he think it's okay to touch a girl like that? You never do that. Especially a girl as special as you." Quinn let out a long sigh and fell silent.

"You called me your girl you know," Rachel said as she felt her teeth begin to chatter. The other girl took note of action and leaned back, draping an arm around the brunette. She snuggled in closer to Quinn's side.

"Yeah, I did do that, didn't I?"

"I was going to let it rest," she explained as she laid her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"You kind of are though, right? I mean we can't… I can't… but you're my person…" Quinn struggled to find the words.

"Yeah, I'm your person, babe," Rachel said quietly as she played with the hem at the bottom of the other girl's dress. The blonde placed a light kiss on top of the girl's head. They sat like this for a while; Rachel playing with the bottom of the dress while Quinn lightly massaged the brunette's shoulder. They felt a peace they seldom felt in their busy, dramatic lives.

Both girls sat up when they heard the door slide open, looking up to find Santana. Quinn immediately began to act like she was stretching as Rachel ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay, love birds, come back inside before I puke all over you two," Santana spit out before turning to go back in. "It's cold so hurry, Sam made sure Finn went home and Puck and I kicked everyone out. I'm taking Brittany home. The house is yours," but before she disappeared through the door way she added one more thing. "Q, don't do anything I wouldn't do, or maybe do, I don't know."

Quinn's face felt like it had the heat of a thousand suns as she quickly stood up. "Right, it's cold, come on." She pulled Rachel inside.

"I should probably be leaving soon as well, my parents might get concerned if I'm not home by a certain hour. Though, they are most likely enjoying alone time that I don't care to think of, it could seriously affect me mentally in a long term perspective," Rachel rambled off.

Quinn giggled at the girl, "you could stay you know." The brunette's face must have been one of shock because the other girl quickly added, "or not, no pressure."

"I'd have to call my dads," she said.

"Okay, you don't have to you know, it's just I've got this big empty house. And this isn't some ploy, it just gets lonely when my Mom is gone." Quinn said as she walked towards the living room, finding Rachel's bag and handing it to her.

"Thank you," she said as she searched her bag for her phone. Upon finding it she quickly typed out a text message and snapped it shut. "There we go."

"I thought you were going to call?" Quinn questioned as she slumped down into the couch, surveying the mess that was left from the party. Santana had, for the most part, cleaned it all up it seemed.

"A text message will do, " Rachel explained as she placed her bag on the floor. "They trust you."

"Who would have thunk it?" The blonde asked rhetorically.

"Thunk…" she giggled as she sat on the end of the couch where girl's feet rest. "Huh."

"Don't mock my expression," Quinn playfully gave the diva a kick with her feet.

"Expression, is that what you are calling it?" the brunette giggle as she sat on top of the girl's feet to prevent her from being kicked again.

"Don't mess with me, Berry," Quinn sat up and gave Rachel a stern look.

"What if I want to, Fabray?"

Quinn swallowed hard and thought deeply about her response. "Be careful what you wish for," she spoke quietly as she laid her hand on the girl's lower back, leaning in closely. "Because I might give you what you want," she whispered in her ear. Rachel sat with her mouth open, void of a clever response. The tension was thick so Quinn did the best thing she could think to do, and grabbed the brunette's sides.

"QUINN! STOP!" Rachel giggled uncontrollably, "I hate being tickled!" She yelled as she squirmed and wiggled. As this was happening Quinn pulled her legs out from under Rachel and pinned her down on the couch. "Seriously," she spoke between fits of giggles and trying to catch her breath, "please stop."

Quinn was now hovering over the brunette with her pinned to the couch straddling her, "since you said please." She ran her hands down from Rachel's sides and rested them on her hips.

"Thank you!" Rachel sighed in victory, wiping tears from her eyes. When the giggles finally were gone she took in the present position and situation they were in. "So did you want to watch a movie or something?" She squeaked out.

"I'd love to," Quinn said, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the forehead before getting off to go look at the movies. Rachel loudly exhaled and wiped her hands off on her jeans. She was glad she had worn jeans because she felt as though there was an added barrier between the girls this way, plus Quinn had said she really liked her in jeans. The girl crossed her legs and tried to steady her breathing. "How about UP?" the blonde asked while hovering over the DVDs.

"It's my favorite," Rachel beamed.

"I know," Quinn turned and sent back an equally giant smile. "It's already midnight, let's watch it upstairs because I'll probably fall asleep on it."

"At least you're honest," she giggled as she stood up. "What time did you get up today anyway?"

"Five a.m., had cheerios practice, of course," the cheerleader grabbed the DVD case and walked towards the stairs.

"I don't know how you do it, wonder woman," Rachel said as she followed her towards the stairs.

As Quinn reached the bottom of the staircase she turned to the other girl, "she's my favorite."

"I know," Rachel smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I suck. It's been forever. I'm dearly sorry, life has been hectic with family, work, school, and finals. But here, this chapter I think may be my longest yet. I hope you enjoy it. Lots of comments/reviews please. I want to know what direction you all want! ENJOY!

Rachel sat in the front row of the auditorium with her arms crossed; she was sporting a scowl across her face. She wanted to go home, it had been a long day, a very very long Monday. And now she had to sit through Quinn's solo.

"_Why should I listen to Quinn's solo? After what happened this weekend I don't even want to be in the same room as her. I'd love to say I'm disgusted, but really I'm just hurt. Then she comes in here and thinks it'll all be fixed if she sings to me. Her voice is soothing, but I'm just reminded of the hurt everywhere_."

Puck picked up his guitar and started playing the beginning chords.

"_Great, so she's been working with Puck. I knew she had been with him. I bet she thanked him just enough. Pay back is a jerk, or bitch, or whatever it is. How stupid can someone be? I just keep falling for her, I give her an inch and she takes a mile." _Rachel's musing ended as Quinn crossed the stage to a single spotlight in the middle of the stage. She was dressed modestly in a white v-neck and jeans, which was uncharacteristic for the blonde. Her hair fell lightly over her shoulders and shined in the light beaming from above. She opened her mouth and began to sing.

**My love she throws me like a rubber ball / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing / But she won't catch me or break my fall / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing**

Quinn's eyes were on Rachel immediately in the front row as she clutched the mic stand in front of her. She began to sway slowly to the sound of Puck's acoustic guitar filling the silent auditorium. Her attention wasn't on any of the other Glee club members in the room, just one girl in particular. She closed her eyes are delivered the next set of lyrics:

**Baby's got blue skies up ahead but in this I'm a rain cloud / You know she wants a dry kind of love / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing**

Rachel's heart picked up its speed when she saw the blonde snatch the mic from its stand and move to the end of the stage. Quinn lightly shook her head and raised the microphone to her lips:

**I'm losing you, I'm losing you / Ain't love the sweetest thing**

Quinn belted the lyrics as she gave Rachel a wink and walked back to the stand. Grabbing it in one hand she motioned for Puck to come over and stand in the spotlight with her. He leaned against her as the next verse rolled through, her gesturing to him as if they were having a conversation:

**I wanted to run but she made me crawl / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing / Eternal fire, she turned me to straw / Oh oh, the sweetest thing / I know I got black eyes / But they burn so brightly for her / I guess it's a blind kind of love / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing**

With each line she sang Puck nodded his head in agreement. Rachel had never seen this side of her friend. She was so free and driven. As she ran her hand through her hair and licked her lips lowering the microphone Rachel unconsciously crossed her legs. Furrowing her eyebrows, she began to take in everything that was happening in front of her.

**I'm losing you, I'm losing you / Ain't love the sweetest thing (ain't love the sweetest thing) / Ain't love the sweetest thing / (ain't love the sweetest thing)**

Puck took the back up vocals from the center of the stage as Quinn took one step forward with every line she sang until she was again at the end of the stage. At this point she hopped off the stage gracefully, Rachel took this moment to glance to the other students. They were equally enthralled in the performance, and luckily none of them seems to take notice to Rachel's rosy cheeks.

**Green-eyed girl meets a brown-eyed girl / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing / you can sew it up but you still see the tear / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing**

Quinn slowly walked her away across the group of kids until she was standing in front of Rachel. The brunette sat dumbfounded with her mouth hanging open as Quinn flashed her a giant grin before reaching out and pulling up her hand.

**Baby's got blue skies up ahead and in this I'm a rain cloud / ours is a stormy kind of love / Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing**

As she sang the final lines she took Rachel's hand and spun her around, softly swaying side to side with the girl. Quinn sat the girl down and then hustled back to the stage while Puck lightly sang out the "doot, doots" to finish up the song.

**The sweetest thing / Oh, the sweetest thing**

The blonde smiled as the Glee club bust into applause. Upon hearing this she shrugged, returned the microphone to the stand, and then exited stage right.

"Excellent, Quinn!" Mr. Schuester shouted as he jumped up from his seat, "that exactly what I asked for! I could really tell she was changing it up. This had Rachel Berry written all over it, did you help?" He asked turning to face Rachel. The brunette sat still with her mouth hanging open, blush creeping up on her face all she could do was shake her head. "Well, either way, everyone is going to have a lot to compete with."

"Berry!" Puck shouted from the stage. She looked up at the Mohawk sporting boy and smiled as he nodded off stage. Rachel quickly scurried up the stairs of the stage and into the wings.

"Quinn?" She asked out to no one.

"Hi," Rachel heard a soft voice. Turning, she found the blonde standing with a single lily in her hands. Quinn was twirling it slowly. "So, what'd you think?" She asked as she took a slow languish step forward, dipping her head to smell the flower.

"It was outstanding, Quinn, truly," the brunette spoke slowly.

"Really?" She asked in an almost childlike way, "I mean, good, I'm glad."

"Smooth," Rachel chuckled.

"I try," Quinn was now standing in front of the shorter girl with a giant smile on her face. "It was for you and so is this," she held the flower out to the girl.

Rachel dipped her head as she felt it become warm only to find the blonde's soft hand against her cheek. Their eyes met, and her face was engulfed in a smile. As she reached out to take the flower she felt their hands meet and a definite spark. "Thank you," she squeaked out.

"I'm sorry," the cheerleader whispered.

"It's okay," Rachel smelled the flower.

"No," Quinn leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, hovering slightly above her cheek. "It really isn't, but I hope this helps my case a bit."

"It most definitely does," she pressed her head against Quinn's, as the blonde wrapped her arms around her pulling her into a tight hug. "Wait, you might crush my flower!"

"It's okay, there are a dozen in your locker too." She chuckled softly.

"So this one makes…"

"A baker's dozen, yeah," Quinn nodded as they pulled apart.

"You're amazing," Rachel was honestly shocked.

"Thank you," she smiled, "but nothing compared to you. You're enough for me, and more."

* * *

Saturday morning.

"Mmm," Quinn purred as she moved in closer to the body next to hers. "Where did you go?" She asked in a sleepy voice.

"I had to use the restroom, I'm sorry," Rachel couldn't hide the giant smile plastered on her face as Quinn moved closer so their bodies were touching.

"I'm cold," she whined.

"Aw," the brunette giggled raising her arm so the other girl could snuggle into her side. "Better?"

"Much," she murmured. After some time of silence she spoke up again, "good morning, Rach."

"Good morning, you."

"What time is it?" She asked.

"9:30."

"Too early, though I think I had Cheerios practice at 7:30…" she trailed off while shrugging.

"Quinn! Why didn't you tell me? I could have woken us up!" Rachel shrieked as she sat up looking at the blonde frustrated.

"No, no," Quinn insisted as she grabbed Rachel by the shirt and pulled her back down. "We're laying."

"Oh, are we?" all of the brunette's frustration disappeared as Quinn continued to snuggle into her. "I hope there aren't any severe ramifications for this however."

"For laying? No, I don't believe there are…" Quinn giggled. "I'll be okay," she yawned, "besides, this is worth it."

"I'm glad you think so," Rachel yawned in response.

"I know so."

Both drifted back to sleep as Rachel held Quinn in her arms, both covered up to their shoulders. It wasn't until an hour later when Quinn's mother came in. "Quinn, honey," she said before pausing to take in the scene. Both girls were stirring awake when they heard the older woman clear her throat. "Quinny, Santana is at the door and she seems particularly upset."

"Thanks, Mom, I'll be down in a few," she said as she sat up running her hand through her hair.

"Rachel, is it?" Mrs. Fabray asked.

Rachel cleared her throat and sat up quickly, "yes ma'am."

"It's nice to, well, meet you. You are welcome to come down and have some breakfast if you like." She said coldly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fabray," the brunette smiled at the older blonde but felt incredibly awkward.

"Well, alright then," she said and left the room.

"That was," Rachel began but stopped as she saw Quinn shoot up out of bed to get dressed, not meeting eyes with the other girl once. "Quinn?"

"I have to go talk to Santana," she spat out, "get dressed."

Before Rachel could even respond Quinn rushed out of the room leaving her hurt and confused. She surveyed the room and saw various books and picture frames. The room didn't particularly have a lot of character, but it had a bit of Quinn here and there. Seeing the lonely pillow next to her made her frown, and she figured it was time to get up and change. Her friend's cold demeanor had really rattled her. When they were cuddling, or snuggling, or whatever it was she felt as though it was too good to be true. How could things shift so quickly? Maybe they need to avoid those intimate moments, which was the only way Rachel could see making sense of their friendship anymore.

As she gathered herself, mentally and physically, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a slight mess, and she was sporting one of Quinn's shirts. The shirt read McKinley High Athletics. A smile small tugged at her lips seeing herself don such a shirt. How did she end up in this position? A year ago Rachel was one of the biggest outcasts at McKinley. Then Glee happened, and Finn, and Jesse, all of it so fast. But at this point, with Quinn being her best friend (or whatever) she felt happier than ever. She ran her hands through her messy brown locks and shrugged in the gray material. Rachel slowly crept down the stairs and heard stern voices from the other side of the front door.

"Well, Fabray, what are you going to do then?" She recognized the voice to be Santana's.

"I don't know, okay? Can't everyone just get out of my business? I thought this was what you wanted? All summer you told me 'Q, just figure it out. Find your happiness.'" Quinn shouted back.

"Don't make me sound like Barney. Brits made me say most of that anyway." Santana sighed loudly, "I care about you, it's hard for me to admit. I don't care about many, but you have to be careful here."

"Like you are with Brittany?"

"Don't you bring her into this, Q, even _you_ know that's a cheap shot. At least I'm honest with her. I have every intention of making an honest girl out her, and you know that. What are you doing with Rachel? Huh?" She pressed on.

"Can you keep your voice down? My mom is right in the kitchen," The blonde spat.

"That is what you're so concerned about? Your mom?"

"Do you blame me? I don't want to get kicked out again." Quinn's voice was filled with hurt as she added the last comment.

"Q, your mom has changed just like you have. You can't run from who you are forever," Santana spoke softly.

"What if this isn't who I am?"

"I've seen way you look at Berry, you aren't fooling me. I'm your best friend." Santana said.

"Yeah, you really helped me last year too, best friend," the blonde spat.

"Damn it, Fabray, just stop! Stop being so caught up on last year. It happened, and we all made dumb ass decisions. But everyone grew up from it; everyone has become stronger from it, especially you. Do you want to spend next year regretting your decisions from this year too?" Rachel didn't hear an audible response but assumed she shook her head no. "I didn't think so. So I'll ask you one more time, what are you doing to do?"

"I don't know, S." Rachel frowned at the defeated sound of Quinn's voice.

"It'll be okay," Santana reassured her.

"I'm not sure it will be," she argued.

"It'll be worth it," Santana pressed on.

"I should get back in, thanks for the heads up," Quinn said.

"Yeah, well I didn't want coach to kick your ass and I figured you were with Captain Crunch n Berries." Rachel smiled as she heard a light smack, "ow, I thought that was a nice one. She's such a diva I'm sure she loves being called Captain. Maybe that's something you could try in the bedroo—OW! Okay, fine."

"You're too much sometimes," the blonde laughed.

"You like it though," Santana said cockily. "Be careful, Fabray."

Quinn sighed, "I'm not sure it's enough…" Rachel felt tears welled in her eyes. She was afraid of this with Quinn from the start. Never enough, she was sure that she wasn't. "See you later, S."

"Bye, Q," as Rachel heard the door open she scurried into the kitchen still feeling dejected.

"Good morning, Rachel," the older woman smiled at her as she stood at the stove.

"Good morning, Mrs. Fabray," Rachel forced herself to smile. "I'm sorry for not asking your permission before staying over, or at least making your acquaintances first."

"It's okay, I just arrived home before I woke you ladies up," she reassured the girl.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you!" Rachel put her hand out offering her to shake it, which she did with a chuckle at the polite girl.

"And you as well, would you like some breakfast? I can make you eggs after I finish these for Quinny. Do you know if Santana is staying?" Rachel cringed as she remembered the conversation she had over heard.

"I don't believe so, and no thank you. I'm actually a vegan so I don't eat eggs. Some toast would be nice however," she smiled.

"Toast! Coming right up," Mrs. Fabray reached for the loaf of bread to her right. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uhhh huh," Rachel mumbled asked as she watched Quinn enter the room and open the fridge, still avoiding eye contact. "Oh, yes ma'am, I did." She quickly corrected herself.

"Good morning, Quinny!" She received a mumble in response as the younger blonde continued to rummage through the fridge. "I made you your favorite eggs, scrambled with cheese!"

Quinn closed the fridge with a carton of orange juice in her hand and grabbed two cups out of the cabinet, "thanks, mom." She poured the drinks and took a seat across from Rachel, slowly pushing the second in cup in front of the brunette. "Rachel doesn't eat eggs, mom."

"Oh, she mentioned that, I'm making her toast," she said. "Would you like some fruit as well?"

"That would be lovely," Rachel spoke lightly. Her eyes were burning their way into Quinn's head that was looking at her mother cook. She still wouldn't meet her eyes and it was starting to worry her. The rest of breakfast was spent this way. If their eyes did meet, it was for a brief moment and the young blonde would look away immediately. They all talked, and Rachel spent most of the time talking to Judy, which she insisted Rachel should call her instead of Mrs. Fabray. The brunette insisted that the older woman go rest as the girls cleaned up the mess from breakfast.

"You okay?" Rachel tediously asked as she scrubbed the pot that the eggs were cooked in.

"I'm fine," she answered as she returned things to the fridge.

Rachel sighed and put the pot down in the sink. Crossing to the fridge placing her hand on Quinn's lower back, "Quinn, what's going on?" The blonde flinched at the touch and turned to face her.

"Nothing, can you just drop it? I should probably get you home," she said and then walked away.

Their ride home was forced and awkward. It was spent mostly in silent and Rachel was fighting back tears by the time they pulled into her drive way. "Goodbye, Quinn."

"Bye, Berry." And that was all they spoke. It was still early and Rachel immediately went up to her bedroom. As she dove into her bed she finally let the sobs take over. She had heard Quinn correctly and their time together only made this more clear. Rachel felt like a fool. This was Quinn Fabray, and no matter how much she thought the cheerleader had changed, she would always be that same girl deep down.

Rachel stayed like this in her room for a long while, just lying on her bed in silence. She played over every moment they had had in the past two months. Every single brush of their hands, the smiles, the tender kisses on cheek, there were cute text messages, and pet names. But what did any of this mean to Quinn? Apparently it wasn't enough. When Rachel finally broke down all she thought to do was call one person.

"Hey, Superstar," Rachel could hear the blonde boy's smile through the phone.

"Hi, Samuel," she said through sniffles.

"Woah, are you crying? What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"Ijustdon''." Rachel mumbled out through sobs.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Rach," he tried to plead through the phone. Sam shook his head, not exactly knowing how to deal with a crying girl on the phone.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know who else to call," she continued to cry.

"You're fine, that's what I'm here for. So take a few breaths," Sam's gentle voice spoke through the phone. After awhile of calming words he finally got her to calm down and they began to discuss everything. "So she said she can't do it?"

"Yeah, she did, but then her actions didn't back it up!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Sounds like classic Quinn, but here is the better question," he paused, "which one does she mean?"

"I want to say her actions."

"Me too."

"So what now, Sam?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, I didn't have the best luck with her," he sighed.

"She can be so infuriating."

"Yeah, but that's why we like her."

"I guess you are right," Rachel said.

"Can I hear that again?" The boy giggled.

"Don't push it, blondie!" She laughed in response.

"There is my feisty girl."

"Here I am," she smiled. "She really hurt me by saying it's not enough, I certainly should have expected it though."

"I don't know about that, I think Quinn's come along way from what I've seen and heard about the past."

"She has."

"She cares so much about you, Rachel. The way she looks at you could make anyone jealous. I was talking to Puck about it and…"

"WAIT WHAT?" She shrieked.

"Well, Quinn went to him about it," the boy backtracked.

"She went to him about what…" Rachel's face filling with blush.

"How she feels about you and stuff, but the dude was really tight lipped about it."

"I guess that is good… She needs someone to talk to," the thought of Quinn talking to Puck made her uneasy, and somehow slightly jealous. "I just don't want to get hurt further. I know I'm not good enough for her, I don't need to be reminded."

"Now that is crazy talk. You're plenty enough, you're better than anyone I know!"

"Thanks, Sam," she smiled at his attempt.

"Do you need me to come over, or are you going to be okay?" Sam asked.

"Well, you could come over for dinner, my dads have been asking about you," she trailed off.

"Score! I was hoping you'd want me to," his voice filled with excitement.

"Be over at 5?" She asked.

"Sounds like a plan, I'm going to go for a run and then shower. Gotta smell nice for my hot date with Rachel Berry and her dads."

"You are such a dork," she giggled. "But I find it increasingly cute."

"Call me if you need anything else, if not I'll see you at five," he said.

"Thanks for everything."

"My pleasure! Bye, Rach." And then he hung up leaving Rachel to her thoughts.

The night went by swimmingly, they enjoyed dinner with her dads and settled in to watch a movie on the couch. Rachel had to admit that they were getting a little cuddlier than she would have regularly allowed. It was a shame that she felt so tied up emotion wise because Sam would make an excellent boyfriend. He was cute, had a nice body, and could definitely perform numerous duets with her in class. Not to mention he made an effort with her which was more than she could say for most. As she felt him sink in closer, with his arm around her shoulder, she looked over her shoulder at him. Their faces inches away from one another.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey you," he whispered in response. Before she could maintain her thoughts and plan her actions she pressed her lips against Sam's. He pulled away slightly at first, surprised, but then kissed her back strongly. Rachel's eyes snapped open and she backed away from the kiss.

"I'm sorry, I can't." she said, tears welling in her eyes, and jumped up off the couch.

"Rachel, it's okay," he said, trying to come after her.

"Please, just don't," she cried out, "I'm going to get some fresh air, okay?"

She quickly went out the front door and sat down on the steps with her head in her hands softly crying. The brunette sat like this for several moments feeling her body being wrecked with sobs and felt like all she did anymore was cry.

Breaking through the silence was a simple sound, "Rachel?" She looked up to find a bundled up Quinn standing in front of her. Rachel immediately hid her face back in her hands, not wanting to be seen in the state that she was currently in. The blonde rushed over to her and knelt down in front of her. "Babe, shhh, it's okay," Quinn said as she rubbed her hands on Rachel's arms. "It's freezing, why don't you have a jacket?" She asked as she started to remove her own.

"Stop," she spoke from the muffled voice in her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I kissed Sam." Those three words were enough to make Quinn stop dead in her tracks.

"Oh," she said as she placed the jacket around Rachel's shoulders. She then stood up, leaving a good distance between the two.

"Yeah, go ahead and hate me," the brunette continued to cry.

"I can't hate you," Quinn said matter of fact.

"Why are you even here?" Rachel asked peering up through her tears.

"Well, I came to apologize for my actions earlier," The blonde looked around. "I didn't see Sam's car here, glad I didn't knock and interrupt…" She giggled awkwardly.

"Why aren't you mad at me?"

"Mad? I can't be. I have no right to be," she said calmly.

"Are you kidding me, Quinn?" Rachel shouted as she shot up from her seat on the steps. "So you are really going to play dumb with me? You aren't the least bit angry that I kissed someone that wasn't you?" the other girl stood with her mouth hanging open. "Yeah, I said it. No more subtle words or skirting around the subject! I'm tired of it. I'm tired of feeling like nothing to you!"

"You aren't nothing—"

"No, I don't want to hear your crap. I don't want to hear you tell me how you care so much about me, your _best friend_," the last two words dripping with sarcasm and disdain. "Don't pull that with me, don't even try to… this is not how you treat your friend! All of this is too much for friendship. If you can't deal, then I guess I can't be bothered with it anymore. I want to hear that you want me!" The last words fell out more than they were spoken.

"Rach…" Quinn whispered.

"Save it, Quinn." Rachel put her hand up in defense, "you know what I want to hear, and if you can't give it to me, then just go." She was now crying even harder.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Sam asked as he opened the door. "Oh," he said as he took in the scene in front of him. Quinn stood stunned as she saw Rachel turn and join Sam at the door. "Quinn," he said softly. Before he could continue she took off into a run and was gone. Rachel rushed in and Sam closed the door behind him. "What was that?" He asked.

"Nothing," she lied.

"Don't lie to me," Sam frowned. "So, the kiss," he pointed with his thumb over at the couch, "did you feel anything or…" She simply shook her head. "Yeah, I didn't think so, but that's okay." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"You're too good to me," she sighed.

"I'm just right, don't you worry about me." He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. "Now come finish the movie with me," he smiled as she walked over and joined him. "No funny business this time, Berry, I happen to want to see the ending!" He didn't even flinch as she slapped him.

They finished the movie and said their goodbyes. Interestingly enough to Rachel it wasn't awkward, though it would have been with anyone else. But Sam was different. In another life Sam would have been her future husband, but in this life, the one that mattered, all she wanted in those moments was Quinn. As she laid down for sleep all she could see was the look in the blonde girl's eyes earlier in the evening.

Rachel grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text message, "I put my heart on the line. I know what I feel and you feel it too." After sending it she rolled over and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of the cheerleader floating around in her head.

* * *

"What'd you say?" Rachel asked, while holding the lily in her hand still.

"You're enough for me, Rach. You're more than enough. I'm so terrified that I'm not enough for you. That hurt only goes deeper when I realized that you felt it too." Quinn grabbed the other girl's hand, "I'm scared. All weekend I sat around and just thought about you. I came to your house Saturday and then all that," she sighed, "drama unfolded. But I'll take it for you. I'll take the drama and everything. I went there thinking I'd tell you that I couldn't do it, that I couldn't deal with what ever this" she pointed between the two of them, "is. Then you said all of those things and I panicked even further. When I watched you walk to Sam I realized that it should be me. And I was mad, I was furious that someone else got you. No one else is supposed to have you." Rachel looked deeply into hazel eyes and could see the tears brimming in them. "Sam called me and told me what happened, and I couldn't be mad. I couldn't blame you for reaching out. I had been jerking you around so much, and the fact that you told him you couldn't, it just broke my heart. If anything I wish you could be with him, because he's better for you, Rachel."

"Quinn, no—"

"No, Rachel, let me get this out. He may be better for you, but I can be the best for you. It might take time, it might take a lot of fights and tears, but I want this. I want this so badly. I don't want you kissing anyone else. I don't want you singing about anyone else. I want all of it so badly. Others can see, so I need to stop running. Then I heard that song on Saturday night and spent all Sunday working on it with Puck. You deserve the very best."

"It was lovely," Rachel beamed.

"It was for you. It's all for you, Rachel. Every smile belongs to you." She sniffled, "keep it together, Fabray."

"You're cute, I hope you know that." Rachel wiped a tear from Quinn's cheek.

"I can't promise you that I'll walk out of here and hold your hand down the hallway or even in Glee club," Quinn looked down ashamed. "But I can promise you that I will take all the steps necessary to making you mine."

"It really isn't needed, considering PDA is a little over done anyway," Rachel shrugged.

"I don't think you mean that, but I'll take what I can get," they both laughed. "Rachel Berry," Quinn began, "I've been falling for you since the day I met you. I hid it with bullying and stupid boys. We fought over the same guys, and I thought it was because of Finn or whoever, when really it was this undeniable feeling I get when I'm around you. You're like the feeling you get when you're driving a fast car, or when you wake up in the morning and your sheets are cold, or like the rush you get performing. You're all of that for me. You look at me and it sends me into a craze. You're the most beautiful, sweetest, kindest, funniest, most talented person I have ever met." Rachel stood dumbfounded. "I want you, and I hope you want me too." And with those simple words that Rachel had been waiting to hear Quinn leaned in and their lips connected.

It was like nothing Rachel had ever experienced before. One simple chaste kiss made every cliché she had ever hear come true. She got her fireworks, she got her weak knees, and she definitely got her butterflies. Quinn was so nervous that she could hardly believe she had gone through with it. As she heard the sound of the lily drop to the backstage floor she felt Rachel's arms wrap their way around the blonde. Quinn snaked her hand around Rachel's neck to deepen the kiss. The blonde was amazed at how it felt like they were meant to be here in that moment, that their lips fit perfectly together. Quinn was swearing off anything and anyone that wasn't Rachel Berry from that moment. From that moment she knew she was in trouble. When they finally broke apart Rachel was the first to speak:

"I most definitely want you," she whispered, her forehead resting against Quinn's.

"You're so beautiful," the blonde whispered in response. "Rach?" She asked as she pulled away.

"Mmmm?" Rachel was blissfully staring at the other girl.

"Would you like to go out on a date with me tonight, to dinner?" Quinn swallowed the giant lump in her throat of nervousness.

"Of course!" the diva shouted and threw her arms around her hugging her tightly.

"Oh jeez," Quinn bust out into laughter. "You're adorable when you're happy."

"I only feel this way with you," she said releasing her hold on the cheerleader.

"I don't mind," Quinn added as she leaned in for another soft kiss. Rachel felt herself melt against the girl's lips. "I'll pick you up around 5:30," she explained as she pulled away.

"Sounds good to me," Rachel said tentatively before grabbing Quinn by the shirt and crashing their lips together, having to stand on her toes to kiss the taller girl. They stood like this for a good while, sharing touches, giggles, and soft kisses. They were exploring this new aspect of their relationship.

"Homo explosion," Quinn heard shouted from the door. "Glee is over, you better get out of here before Schuester comes in after you!"

"Thank you, S!" Quinn shouted back.

"She knows?" Rachel looked shocked.

"She knows."

"You aren't scared?" She asked.

"I am, but I've got you, so it makes it kind of worth it." The blonde smiled.

"Kind of?" Rachel took a step back, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sort of…" she continued to pester the shorter girl.

"What about maybe?" The brunette bit back.

"Perhaps?" Quinn cocked her head to the side.

"Hmph!" Rachel pouted and crossed her arms.

Quinn grabbed her arms and put her lips against Rachel's, which the other girl could not deny. Once they pulled away she simply added, "definitely, without a doubt."


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I think I know where I'm heading with the story after this, but I had to give you this chapter. I couldn't skimp you on the first date! I hope you enjoy it. Mind you, this is a glee fic, so I go for as much cheese as possible. Enjoy the fluff. Reviews and comments are always appreciated it, they make me want to write more for you.

"Rachel, I think someone is here to see you…" She heard her dad call from downstairs. She gave one last glance to the mirror and smiled. Her dress that came just above her knee was yellow; she had remembered that Quinn liked it. It was about the fifteenth outfit she'd tried on in the hour and a half she had before the given time Quinn had said. Her smile was full of a mixture of emotions: excitement, nervousness, terror, happiness, confusion, and everything in between. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions all in its own, and she hadn't anticipated it after the weekend she had had. All that meant nothing to her though, because Quinn Fabray was downstairs waiting for her.

_The_ Quinn Fabray, Cheerleader Quinn Fabray had kissed her and asked her out on a date. A small part of her worried it was all some dream, one that would be oh so cruel upon waking up. But as she descended down the staircase, she knew it was all real. Rachel closed her eyes for a short moment, afraid that when she opened them it all might vanish. Upon opening her eyes, the scene was still the same.

Her dad stood at the bottom of the stairs with his arms crossed, but a giant grin plastered to his face. "Honey, your _date _is here!"

Rachel felt like her face was going to explode, her chest was so tight and she could feel her heart beating in her ears. Beyond her dad Quinn stood elegant in a light blue dress, her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, and a white pea coat hugged her shoulders. When she reached the final step the blonde walked forward slowly with her hands behind her back.

"Yeah, your _date_ is here," Quinn laughed slightly. "You look amazing," she added as she stood to the side of Randy, who cleared his throat.

"Well, I will let you two get going, have her back by eleven at the latest please." The short man said with a smile.

"You've got it, Mr. Berry," the blonde smiled.

"I'd tell you to call me Randy, but you are now a suitor to my daughter and you must earn that right all over again!" He gave the girl a light pat on the back.

"Daddy!" Rachel shrieked as blush crept onto her face.

"No, it's okay, Rach," Quinn shook her head. "He is right, and I'm up for the challenge!"

"Excellent answer! Now get going!" He said as he walked away.

Quinn suddenly became nervous and diverted her eyes to the ground, shuffling her feet. "Get it together, Fabray," she mumbled under her breath.

"Are you talking to yourself?" The brunette giggled.

She looked up with a panic stricken look on her face, "oh, maybe."

"It's kind of cute," Rachel smiled and finally stepped down from the final step.

"I got you these," Quinn said, remembering her prior intentions as if they just came to her. She pulled her arm from behind her back to present a bouquet of flowers. As Rachel leaned forward and examined them closer, a huge smile spread across her face. She then leapt into the arms of the blonde. Quinn softly dropped the flowers and held up Rachel, their lips meeting briefly. Upon pulling apart she picked them up and handed them to the brunette. "I figured I'd change it up since I got you typical flowers at school…"

"You're amazing," she tried to compose herself. The flowers were made out of sheet music, all folded to resemble roses. "How did you…"

"Nope, the rule tonight is no questions, just let the magic happen." Quinn insisted as she held her hand up in protest.

"The magic?" Rachel's eyes gleamed. "Quinn, we both know there is no such thing as—"

"Nope! Simply magic," she said as she took the other girl's hand in her own. "Now, Miss Berry, will you please do me the honor of accompanying me on this date?" She asked as she helped the brunette into her coat.

"I would love to!" Rachel replied as she allowed herself to be led out the front door and to the car. Quinn never let go of her hand until she opened the passenger side door, gesturing for the shorter girl to get in. She closed the door, but not before placing a light kiss on the girl's cheek. In the short moments it took Quinn to round the car and enter the driver's seat, Rachel felt her heart race. In the first five minutes of their date she had felt more special than any time she could remember. And the way the girl looked at her felt so real, so full of something, but she wasn't quite ready to assess that. Her musings were cut short as she heard Quinn enter the car. Before she could consider what she was doing, she leaned forward and met her lips with the blonde's right as their eyes met. The kiss wasn't long, but it was full of meaning, and both could tell when they pulled apart.

"You're making me awfully nervous, Rachel," Quinn blushed as she started the car. As they drove on to the unknown location she paid attention to each song that played. There wasn't much chatter, nervousness filling the air in the car, but there were stolen glances and constant handholding.

"So where are we going?" Rachel finally asked, as she couldn't contain herself any longer.

"You made it seven minutes, I'm surprised," she laughed glancing at the clock on the dashboard.

"You timed it?" The diva scoffed.

"I know you," Quinn giggled.

"I know you do…" Rachel added as she peered out the window, the statement sinking deeper than the fact that Quinn knew she had little patience when it came to surprises.

"I've always listened you know, even when we weren't friends," she began. "Since elementary school even when you told me by the monkey bars that," she cleared her throat preparing to do her best mini Berry impression: "you'd never subject yourself to doing a musical such as Cats, because though it had amazing music, it seemed degrading to play a cat…"

"I didn't talk like that."

"Oh, but you did, and it took me a few years to figure out what some of the words meant, but that's okay." They exchanged a smile; "the point is that I've been leaving it on the line for forever. I've been avoiding everything in my life, and I think ultimately I was avoiding how you make me feel." She took a deep breath, "so many nights I lay awake and think about what it'd be like if I would have just pursued you early on. If I had maybe called when I wanted to in middle school to tell you that you sang really beautifully in the talent show, or that time I wanted to tell you to join the Cheerios, not because you're a particularly good dancer but because it'd be fun to go on weekend trips with you to tournaments. Then Finn happened, and Glee, and Beth," she paused tightening her grip on the steering wheel, "and things got so insanely complicated."

"It's okay."

"Let me finish, Rach." The brunette nodded in response. "It's not just 'okay.' You deserve these explanations; you deserve apologies and flowers. You deserve the world, so here I am telling you what I've wanted to do. But the difference with me, the difference between me and those stupid boys you've dated in the past is that I'm going to do everything I can to follow through on my promises. I'm going to start at square one." The car came to a halt, and Rachel immediately recognized where they were. Quinn turned off the car and exited it, sprinting around to open the door for her date. She held her hand and led her to a blanket that was placed under the monkey bars. It was the park across the street from their Elementary school. On the blanket were a few spares blankets, a few pillows, and an old fashion picnic basket.

"A picnic," she spoke softly.

"I know I'm not ready to tell the universe about us, but I know I'm ready to treat you right," Quinn sat down on a pillow and pulled Rachel down onto her lap. They sat like this for a few moments, "so, tell me about Cats…" They both shared a good laugh before Rachel settled in next to Quinn. The blonde slowly began to pull things out from the basket, various food containers and a couple of water bottles.

"It's nothing fancy, but I did steal this picnic basket from my mom… I think it's supposed to be really classy or something." She analyzed the wicker basket with a concentrated face.

"Seems very classy," Rachel laughed at the adorable look on her face. "This is really great, Quinn."

"I know it isn't much—"

"Stop doing that, please. Just enjoy this with me, because right now I feel my whole world is colliding with my dreams."

"It's not a dream, it's a reality," Quinn spoke quietly before leaning in to capture Rachel's lips. This kiss became immediately deeper and more sensual than any other they had experienced. Their connection was undeniable. Rachel pushed back on Quinn's lips as she slowly maneuvered her way on top of the blonde. She found her hand around Quinn's neck, deepening the long kiss as the other girl's hands landed safely on her bare thighs, as her dress had now rode up some. Rachel made a failed attempt to hold back a low moan as Quinn trailed her tongue across her bottom lip, requesting entrance. There was no hesitation and their tongues met, causing another low seated moan to escape from the brunette.

"Rachel," Quinn spoke deeply, tearing her lips from the kiss before going back in for more. "Rach," she tried again, pulling them apart. Failing yet again as Rachel drew their faces together, tugging on Quinn's bottom lip as they continued to get lost in feeling each other. When the blonde felt her hands begin to move higher she finally pulled away for good. "Baby," she brushed the bangs from her girl's hair, "baby…"

Rachel finally opened her eyes and looked sheepishly at the blonde, "sorry…"

Quinn couldn't hold back a chuckle as she heard the word escape the girl's swollen lips. "Now why would you be sorry?"

"I tend to get carried away," she said as she began to regain her spot next to the blonde, but Quinn held her in place.

"Don't be sorry, I just want to make sure I get it right."

"Get it right," Rachel smiled.

"Yes ma'am," she nodded. "You are an outstanding kisser though…" The other girl's face immediately turned a shade of red. "And you're cute when you blush. As a matter of fact, you're down right gorgeous all the time."

"Alright, now that is enough!" The brunette stood up quickly.

"Nope, no diva fits tonight," she laughed as she pulled her back into her lap. "Let your walls down, Rach." Her voice taking a more serious tone.

"I can try," she said looking away.

"I constantly feel mine come down when I'm with you," Quinn confessed.

"Good, because they are so high," Rachel jested and sat across from Quinn on the blanket. The other girl immediately frowned. "You want my walls down, then we should keep our distance, I could probably kiss you forever."

"I'm counting on it…" The blonde mumbled under her breath as she began to sort the food on the blanket. "Salad?" She smiled.

"Thank you," Rachel smiled in return as she took the bowl handed to her.

Their meal was simple and showed how perfectly planned Quinn had it. A light salad followed by a still warmly prepared eggplant parmesan. Rachel asked Quinn how she managed it all, but was reminded of the rule about magic. The conversation stayed relatively light and managed to not include talks of Glee club or the girls' past angst. It was as if they were anew. There was innocent flirting, and even a little discussion of future plans.

"Well you're destined to get out of this place," Quinn said matter of fact.

"And what about you?" Rachel asked.

"Who knows," she smiled sadly.

"You could always come with me…"

"Well that's mighty forward of you," the blonde giggled, her gaze on the brunette had not faltered. She was mesmerized by her poise and beauty.

"Whatever happens, you are one of the most amazing people I've ever met," Rachel explained but was only met with a headshake. "You've been through so much, yet you still keep your head up everyday. You're beautiful, composed, elegant, and intelligent. My dads and I were talking when I got home and I told them everything that happened—"

"Yeah, thank you for that. Randy pulled me into a tearful hug the second I walked up to your front door… I didn't even get a chance to ring the doorbell! He told me that 'I knew I could count on you!'"

"That is dad for you, you'd think he's the tough one, but neither of them really are," Rachel laughed at the story.

"Yeah, they're pretty great."

"Back to what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Rachel said sarcastically, as the blonde stuck her tongue out at her in response. "Dad and daddy were talking about how all my life the person I had described as my ideal person was you, except up until then I had always described the person as a male counterpart."

"Well, I certainly don't have a penis…"

"Don't be crude, Quinn," the brunette said semi-sternly. "I can't breathe when I'm around you. Since the moment we were paired up and you sat down at that piano it is like something clicked in my head. I had to figure out what was so electric about you, and I'm not sure I ever will."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Do you believe in fireworks, Quinn?"

"I do now."

"Don't ever lie to me? Please." There was a certain amount of distress in Rachel's voice. "If it comes down to it and this isn't to happen, then just be honest with me. I'd rather get my heart broken than get cheated on or lied to."

"You aren't Finn," Quinn said softly with a twinge of hurt.

"I know what I'm signing up for, I know your past, and I've seen it first hand. You will never be only your faults to me, Quinn. But the only thing I want, the only thing I need is honesty. I just want someone who will fight for me and will respect me. Someone that will love me and not screw me over. I've never been in a relationship that was even, it's always been one sided. I just want someone to love me, and I'm tired of hurting."

"I can be all of that for you."

"That's a lot to take on right out of the gate," Rachel sighed.

"But this isn't new! It isn't like you waltzed into the school and we just met. I've known you my whole life, Rachel Barbara Berry. I was at your first public performance!" Quinn stressed knowing the importance and weight that surrounded the event.

"The start of my amateur career: kindergarten talent show. I won if you recall," Rachel added.

"Rach, you were the only one who performed…"

"Technicalities!" she insisted causing Quinn to double over in laughter.

"My point is that if it's ever too much, then tell me. As much as I want to be happy and not get hurt, I want you to be happier," Rachel explained.

"You're beautiful," the blonde reached out and held her hand.

"Flattery will get you no where, Fabray."

"I beg to differ!" She argued as she stood up, pulling Rachel with her.

"What about the mess?" She asked as they walked away.

"Magic, remember?" Quinn grinned the grin of the Cheshire cat.

"Oh, right!"

They walked their way down the path along the trees; the sun had nearly set leaving them to stroll in twilight. Hand in hand they walked a path they had walked many times before, but this time it was different. When they came to a clearing in the trees Quinn stood in front of Rachel grabbing both of her hands.

"Listen closely," Quinn leaned forward and whispered in her ear. The girl shivered as she received a kiss on the cheek before the blonde slowly backed away. She glanced to her right to find a small keyboard sitting next to a tree. Rachel opened her mouth to question but was silenced by a single word: "Magic." Rachel nodded in response and stood still, holding her breath for a moment before Quinn sat down and began to play. The gentle sounds of the piano filled the wooded area, and then it was met with the warmth of the familiar voice.

_ I don't get many things right the first time / In fact, I am told that a lot / Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls brought me here_

The sound of a guitar filled her left ear from behind the trees, but yet she couldn't steal her gaze from the girl in front of her sitting at the keyboard. Quinn played on, closing her eyes to continue:

_And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face? / Now I see it everyday and I know that I am, I am, I am the luckiest_

The sound of violins came from the woods in front of her, and Rachel realized that she knew the feeling. She'd never felt it before she'd gotten to know the girl, but she knew it instantly. She was falling so hard for Quinn, and there was no stopping it.

_What if I'd been born fifty years before you in a house on a street where you lived? / Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike would I know?_

Rachel found herself placing her hand over her heart and closing her eyes.

_And in a white sea of eyes I see one pair that I recognize / And I know that I am, I am, I am the luckiest _

In all of her dreams she was serenaded in front of people or she was asked to do a duet with the love of her life. But in this moment it all seemed that every moment in her life pointed to this moment. All of her life in the background Quinn Fabray was falling for her, and she was the lucky one. Rachel Berry was the luckiest girl alive.

_I love you more than I will ever find a way to say to you._

And there it was. The blonde felt a single tear fall as she sang the words she will be too scared to say for a long time to come. But tonight was about revealing herself, and being honest. It seemed hasty, but in all reality she had loved Rachel since the first grade. Santana pushed her down on the playground and Quinn offered to help her up. Granted Rachel told her that depending on others was silly, and she thought that was the coolest thing ever. Rachel Berry was always cool in her mind. Doing her own thing.

_Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties and one day passed away in his sleep / And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days and passed away / I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong _

Rachel giggled softly as she saw the smirk on Quinn's face after singing the few lines. It was pretty clear that she'd been working on the song choice for a while, because she played it with the accuracy of months of practice. The passion that flowed from the blonde was enough to make Rachel want her; it was the perfect moments shared. She wasn't sure if the chills were from the wind and impending temperature drop that came with night fall, or the beautiful moment unfolding.

_That I know that I am, I am, I am the luckiest_

The forest of instruments silenced with the final words and Quinn played the final notes. Lifting her hands off the keys, she smiled shyly at the brunette. After a few silent moments of intense gazing eyes she slowly stood up and they met halfway. "I mean every word," Quinn said, there still being a foot between the two of no contact.

"Don't you dare change your mind," Rachel let her guard down finally and tears began to fall.

"You never have to worry about that, baby," she reassured as she closed the gap between the two, pulling her into a tight hug, running her fingers through her hair and placing a light kiss on top of her head. She could hear Rachel mumbling something into her shoulder amongst the tears. "What was that?" She asked as she pulled back some.

"I love it" she hiccupped back some tears, "when you call me that…"

Quinn laughed and tilted her head to the side, "I'm glad, because I don't plan on stopping." She then kissed the brunette on the nose, before dipping her head to meet her lips. Mid kiss she heard catcalls from behind the trees. "PUCKERMAN!" She shouted as she pulled away, and then they heard the sound of feet stomping away. They both chuckled lightly, "so much for magic, I guess."

"What do you mean? I feel nothing but magic." Rachel smiled, which only grew at the hopeful look she saw on her girl's face. They held hands and began to go back up the trail they had entered the clearing from. "So, can I ask you something?"

"Always." Quinn then stopped dead in her tracks, "actually, no."

"What!"

"Can I ask you something first?"

"Quinn Fabray," Rachel was inhaling, preparing herself for a full rant.

"Please…" She said softly with her best puppy dog eyes directed straight at Rachel.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, thinking those things will always work… But yes, ask away."

Quinn smiled and squared her shoulders up to Rachel's, meeting her gaze. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Welllllll…" Rachel dragged on playing coy until she saw the look of panic and horror in the blonde's eyes. "I would love nothing more than to be yours." The panic turned to elation as the girl leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Don't scare me like that again though!" She exclaimed as she grabbed her hand and pulled her down the trail. They walked to the car in silence, Rachel didn't even say anything as they passed the monkey bars and she saw that the scene of their dinner was now gone. She knew that any objection would just be met with a single word. Instead she enjoyed the feeling of her girlfriend's hand in hers. _Her_ girlfriend, which happened to be head cheerleader Quinn Fabray.

When they finally reached the car she spoke up. "That was a very beautiful performance, Quinn. I could tell you rehearsed it to perfection."

"Only the best for you," she said jokingly. "I've been practicing it since summer when everything was still a pipe dream. I thought maybe if I couldn't have you I could dream it."

"You are absolutely the most charming person I have ever met," Rachel rubbed her thumb across the back of Quinn's hand where their hands met in between the seats. "This is a mix of all the songs we've sang or listened to together, isn't it?"

"I wanted it to be just right."

"You got it right," Rachel smiled. Upon reaching the Berry household Quinn pulled the car to a slow stop and turned off the engine. "It's only 9:15."

"Only?"

"Dad said eleven," she stated.

"This I know," Quinn smiled cockily; exiting the car she again sprinted to open the door for the shorter girl, offering her hand out to pull her up. As they walked up the pathway to her front door the blonde spoke again, "close your eyes."

"But Quinn!" Rachel protested only to be met with a look. "Magic, right." She closed her eyes and felt her girlfriend slowly guide her up the porch stairs and through the front door she had been through a million times.

She felt Quinn let go of her for a bit and then heard, "Okay, open them…"

In front of her was not the living room she was typically met with. All of the furniture was removed except for the couch and coffee table, which was sitting in the middle of the room. At one end of room was a giant white sheet that was spread across the wall, a projector displaying the opening credits to a familiar movie.

"I told you I wanted to right all the things that I thought I should have done, all my wrongs," Quinn began to explain, taking Rachel's hand in hers. She led her to the couch, and sat them down. "The first time I came here and we watched Rent together I so badly wanted to hold you, kiss you, and just be with you. I got more courage than I had anticipated, and I got scared and fled." She pulled a blanket over the two of them, "but this time I want to have a nice time. I want to tell you are beautiful and still be holding your hand when dads come home… Above the blanket of course!" She nudged shoulders with the brunette.

They adjusted into a comfortable position, and began to watch the movie. A few minutes in Rachel looked over at the blonde, "I think tonight be the best night of my life." The vulnerability dripped off of every word.

"Mine too," Quinn added, as if there was never any doubt. "Many more to come?"

Rachel nodded and sighed contently. "It'll be just like starting over," she said.

"A girl after my own heart," the blonde giggled.

"That's kind of the idea."

When her dads came home at 11:15pm Quinn was still holding her hand. They did get a lecture from Rachel about the hypocrisy of instructing Quinn to have her home by eleven only to be fifteen minute, which her fathers mostly laughed through, but the blonde held her hand throughout all of the rant. She could be ridiculous, but she knew what she was getting into. Her face became a bit pink when Rachel's dad said that they needed to lay down ground rules the next day after which she ran a hand through her semi-mussed hair. It was fairly clear that the teens hadn't simply sat and watched the whole film. But both men shook their heads with goofy grins, delivering their goodnights to the girls.

And when it was time to say goodnight they walked to the front door and kissed lightly.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Rachel asked while buttoning up her girlfriend's coat.

"Of course, can I pick you up for school?" Quinn returned the question, putting her hands on top of the girl's when she had finished her task.

"I'd like that," the brunette pulled her in by the lapel for another, longer kiss. She pulled back before they could get carried away. "Get out of here, pretty girl" she swatted at the cheerleader's butt. She opened the door and stole one last kiss before Quinn began to walk down the front porch steps.

"Sweet dreams," she called up over her shoulder to the girl in the doorway.

"Quinn…"

"Yeah, baby?" She stopped, turning to face the girl.

"How did we end up here?" Rachel asked with a smile, leaning on the doorframe.

"Magic!" she exclaimed with a smile and skipped off to her car.

When she finally saw her girlfriend's car pull away she closed the door, putting her back to the closed side of it, and squealed. She was now a believer in magic.

That night Rachel Berry was the luckiest girl in all of Ohio or the world really, but someone disagreed. Because as Quinn drove home she sighed contently, knowing she indeed was the luckiest.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Been awhile. Sorry! Life is busy, you know? I can't believe this is chapter 20! I feel like it's flown by. I'm not sure how many this will go to, but I'm still enjoying writing it. Reviews and comments are always appreciated. More to come soon. Enjoy! I'll call this a late birthday present to a friend of mine. You _should_ know who you are.

Rachel had fallen asleep. She walked into her bedroom and laid down sighing peacefully on her bed. The night was like a dream, the best night of her life. But what was to come was something more kin to a nightmare. She abruptly woke up when she felt her phone vibrating on the bed next to her. By the time she pick it up the call was missed, and the phone clearly read "Missed Call (11)." Before she could respond or see who it was, the phone began to ring again.

CALL FROM: Santana

Rachel sleepily answered the phone, "hello?"

"BERRY! FINALLY! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" Santana hurriedly asked between sniffles. She was crying, this immediately sobered Rachel out of her sleepy state.

"Santana, what is wrong?" She asked as calm as she could be.

"Rachel, it's bad. It's really bad. I just," her voice cut off and the diva heard her trying to cover the phone to hide the sobs that wrecked the other girl.

Her voice became much more urgent, "SANTANA! SANTANA! I _need_ you to tell me what is going on…"

"It's Quinn, she got into a car accident…"

"WHAT!" Rachel shrieked.

"It was bad, her car is pretty messed up. She was unconscious when they got to her, they have her on the way to the hospital now." Santana tried to explain calming, but at this point Rachel was on autopilot. Tears were streaming down her face and she was jumping out of her bed knocking things over in the process. She didn't care, she had to get to Quinn. "Rachel! RACHEL!"

Rachel remember she was still on the phone and held it up to her ear "Santana" was all she could mutter before breaking out into full sobs.

"I know, Rachel, it's okay."

"HOW IS THIS OKAY!" She yelled.

"You're right, it's not right now. I'm heading to the hospital, do you need me to come get you?" Santana asked.

"I'll have my dads take me, you're already on your way I'm sure, I will see you there." Rachel reasoned.

"Okay."

"Thank you for the call," she said amongst sniffles.

"Berry, um, be safe, okay?" Santana said hesitantly.

"You too, I'll see you soon." As soon as she opened her doors her fathers were standing there with worried looks.

"Honey, are you okay?" Peter asked concerned as he saw her tears falling. "We heard yelling, and things falling over."

"Quinn's been an accident, can you take me to the hospital please?" She cried.

"Of course we can, is she okay?" Randy asked.

"I don't know, Dad." Rachel said looking at her feet. "I hope so, I don't know what I'd do if she isn't… I have to get to her!"

The three of them rushed to the hospital as fast as possible, while remaining safe with the idea of an accident filling all of their heads. Rachel sat silently, letting the tears fall down her face. All of the images outside the window were a blur, all she could think about was getting to her Quinn. On the way they passed Quinn's mess of a car. There was a crashed pickup truck as well, but Quinn's car was smashed against the lamppost. Upon seeing this Rachel collapsed into her Daddy's arm in the back seat and steadily cried the rest of the way until they arrived at the hospital. The Berry family walked into the ER waiting room and was immediately greeted by a pacing Santana and a tearful Brittany sitting in front of her.

Brittany noticed them first, "RACHIE!" She yelled and rushed over to engulf her in a tight hug. Rachel felt oddly comforted and squeezed back, feeling her tears slowing to a stop. When they pulled apart she saw Santana over the girl's shoulder.

"So, I don't know what is going on yet. Judy is here, she is talking to the doctors, she promised me she'd come back out and fill us in. She kept telling me to call you…" Santana spoke quickly. Rachel took a chance for once and stepped closer, pulling the Latina into a hug. At first she resisted but then finally calmed herself into the diva's arms. "If you tell anyone about this I'll kill you." She said pulling apart beginning to cry.

"I know, but that's okay. We're all in this together," Rachel explained suddenly feeling more put together than ever. She was taking charge, as she often did in pressured situations. After talking to the nurses and finding out what they knew, which was nothing except that she was brought in unconscious but breathing, she joined the rest of the girls.

The three of them all sat, driving themselves crazy in impatience. Her fathers went to the cafeteria to get them all coffee, considering they all knew it'd be a long night. Brittany was lying with her head in Santana's lap across the hospital chairs. Rachel sat catatonic staring at the ground, breathing evenly. The tears had finally subsided and now she felt numb. In due time her dads returned and joined them in the waiting room. They both tried to talk to Rachel, but was only met with nods. Santana spoke with the two men about what she knew. The brunette was finally shaken out of her trance when she saw the familiar face of Judy Fabray come through the doors adjacent to the nurse's station. Before the older Fabray could cross even half of the waiting room the young girl was standing in front of her.

"Rachel, I'm glad Santana could get a hold of you," Judy said looking exhausted.

"Yes ma'am, you know I wouldn't be anywhere else," Rachel assured her.

"This I know," she nodded and gave a weak smile.

"So…" the girl was getting very anxious.

"Well, my dear, Quinny is still unconscious unfortunately," she began. She paused and noticed that tears were already falling down the young brunette's cheeks. Judy pulled her into a tight hug, "it'll be okay. Our girl will be okay." Rachel nodded into the woman's shoulder. "Let's go sit and tell everyone at once, shall we? I don't think I can repeat myself too much this evening." They both made their way over to the worried group.

"Is she okay, Mom!" Brittany asked quickly before anyone could speak, sitting up.

"She'll be okay, Brittany," Mrs. Fabray assured as they took a seat in the chairs across from the four. Putting a supportive hand over Rachel's she began to explain. "She was coming home from Rachel's and the red light had just turned green, she began to accelerate when a pick up truck swerved from the other side of the road and collided with her head on." Randy, the shorter of Rachel's fathers, gasped putting his hand to his mouth. "Her car then proceeded to spin into the lamppost on her side." Tears were now escaping the eyes of everyone listening, and Judy was doing her best to keep it together as well. "Quinny has fractures just below her left shoulder, and her elbow. She was knocked out when her head hit the steering wheel and back to the headrest, the driver's side window shattered and she has a pretty deep gash on her head from that. Also various cuts on her body." Rachel broke the Judy's momentary silence with a loud sob. "She's going to be okay, she is lucky only these things happened. The doctor said that if she had been full stopped that it's possible the conditions could be far worse, if not fatal. They are doing tests and scans to make sure she has no internal bleeding and then we'll be able to go see her one at a time."

They all sat stunned for a while. "I'm glad she's going to be okay, Mom," Santana finally said. It was upon hearing this that Rachel realized how little she knew about Quinn's life and past, the deeper things. Sure, her relationship with her Mother wasn't as stable recently, but seeing Judy with Brittany and Santana made her imagine all of the history the three girls have. All of the sleepovers, game nights, movie nights, pillow fights, and happy times they must have had in the past. She'd never seen Santana show so much emotion as this evening and she was glad that Quinn had that in her life. She never really did for herself.

When the clock struck 2:30am Rachel realized that her fathers worked the next day. "Dad, Daddy, why don't you go home?" She asked softly watching her dads uncomfortably put their head against the walls.

"We don't want to leave you alone," Peter stated.

"She's wont be alone, Mr. Berry," Santana whispered, with Brittany lying with her head in her lap again, this time asleep. "I don't plan on leaving until Berry does."

The Berry's were almost taken aback by the gesture of kindness and caring the Latina girl was showing, the girl that hadn't always treated their daughter the best. Sharing a soft smile, they nodded. Standing Randy kissed Rachel on the head, "call me if you need anything, honey."

"I will, Dad. Daddy, make sure he actually sleeps!" She insisted.

"You've got it boss. Goodnight, ladies. Judy, call us if you need anything at all," Peter insisted placing a hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you so much for coming up here! It's nice to see that Quinny is so loved," she said while standing and pulling both men into hugs.

After the men left Rachel excused herself to the restroom. She washed her face and took a few deep breaths. "Get yourself together, Rachel," she said to her own reflection. "You need to be strong for Quinn. She is going to be okay and you'll pick up where you left off." She gave herself a confident nod and walked back to the waiting. Judy was talking with a nurse at the station, despite her trying to not be nosey; she began to approach the station.

"Psssst, Berry!" Santana called upon her from the chairs on the other side of the room. Rachel looked over just to see the girl wave her over.

"Yes, Santana?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

"I was on the phone with her, Berry," Santana said with a sad look on her face. "Do you think it's my fault?"

"Absolutely not, something like this is unavoidable when it's head on." Rachel sat down next to the girl and put her hand on her shoulder. "Though you both will cease talking on the phone while driving from now on."

"Yes, mother," she joked.

"So, you and Judy are pretty close?" The diva asked while gesturing to the older woman who was still speaking with the nurse.

"Yeah, we used to be. Times like this remind us I guess. Brits and I used to spend all summer at Quinn's house when we were younger. Things change over time, but they are still my family." Santana said as she ran her fingers through Brittany's blonde hair.

"It's sweet," Rachel added.

"I guess it is, yeah. Do you know what else is sweet?" She asked.

"What?" Rachel took the bait; despite thinking it could be a bad idea.

"The tooth ache inducing date Fabray took you on tonight," she laughed.

Rachel sighed, thinking back to the dream of an evening she'd had until Santana's phone call. "Yeah, it was amazing. She's amazing. It was like something out of a dream."

"She wouldn't shut up about you on the phone." Rachel smiled after hearing this. "Don't break her heart, Rachel," Santana said sternly.

"I hadn't planned on it," she said softly.

"No one ever does, but Quinn is special. She's been through a lot. She needs someone who can take care of her, even when she says she doesn't need anyone."

"I'm that person, Santana," Rachel said simply.

"I know you are," she flashed a rare genuine smile.

"Quinn is awake," They heard and looked over to see a small smile on Judy's face.

"Best news I've ever heard!" Santana exclaimed.

"She's asking for you, Rachel…" Judy said calmly.

"Oh, well, Santana should probably go first, she's been here longer." Rachel suddenly felt nervous.

"She's asking for you, Berry. I have to wake up Brittany first anyway. Go take care of her," Santana eyes flickered between Rachel and the older Fabray. All the diva could manage was a nod and then followed Judy to the doors.

Before sending her through the doors Judy put her hands on Rachel's shoulders. "The nurse said she woke up saying your name over and over. She's going to be a little delirious, but I'm sure the nurse will explain it. Go take care of our girl," she said again and hugged her tightly.

On the other side of the doors she met a nurse at the smaller station in the hallway. "Hello, I'm here to see Quinn Fabray. She's in room 14 I believe," Rachel peeked over the counter.

"Yes, room 14 is correct." The nurse affirmed as she walked around the station and held her hand out to shake, "I'm Rebecca, Quinn's nurse. I assume you are Rachel?"

"Yes ma'am," she felt a slight twinge of blush fill her cheeks as she shook the woman's hand. "I heard she was saying my name…" She giggled nervously.

"At first, yes. In the meantime she's moved on to 'Where is Rachel? I need her. Can you find me my girl? I need Rachel.' She is kind of in and out at this point, but she'll be just fine." The nurse explained.

Rachel was now beat red, "Oh, okay."

"So, I found her girl? Because if I come back without her, I think my patient will be fairly upset…" Rebecca bumped shoulders with her as she picked up a chart from the counter.

"That's me," Rachel took a deep breath, "Quinn's girl."

"Good, enough teasing from me," the nurse smiled, "follow me." Rachel did just that, following her down the hallway and finally reached a door on the right. "Here we go, tell her I found you personally, will you?" She giggled and walked away.

Rachel slowly opened the door and realized she was holding her breath. While entering the room she took in the environment of the room. It wasn't much because they were still in the ER. When her eyes finally landed on the girl in the bed she gasped at what she saw. Quinn looked so small and fragile. Various wires, machines, and tubes all around her. The blonde's hair was peeking out of white bandage wrapped around the top of her head where the gash must be. Her left arm was in a sling. The brunette's heart broke just looking at the sleeping girl. Rachel slowly made her way over and pulled the chair near her bed over. She had to wipe away several stray tears before taking Quinn's hand in her own gently.

Rachel couldn't handle the tension in her chest. She felt like she was going to explode. She let go of her girlfriend's hand and put her head down on the edge of the bed, sobbing silently. After awhile of this state she felt a hand brush her hair to the side. She sat up slowly and met eyes with Quinn. A smile immediately filled her entire face, jumping up she softly pressed her lips against the other girl's. They were dry, but she had never felt anything better in her entire life. Rachel sat back down and took her girlfriend's hand in her own.

"Baby…" Quinn finally croaked out, a tear escaping, she cracked a small smile.

"I'm right here," Rachel said giving her hand a light squeeze, kissing the top of it. "I'm right here."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: A short chapter to tide you over until the next one. Sorry, I've been such a failure about updating. Someone needs to remind me more often! Haha. Comments and reviews are always appreciated.

The rain was coming down fairly hard outside. Rachel couldn't really place the feeling in her stomach. She'd felt immediately nauseous the second she received Santana's phone call. Everything had been happening at such a fast pace, even before the accident. One second Quinn Fabray didn't want to partner with her, then she was becoming her person, now they were going on secret dates and kissing. It felt like she had been dropped into a parallel universe. She hadn't even had a real chance to think on it.

The girls had finally gotten everyone to go home to get some sleep after they got their chance to see the blonde. Even Santana began to tear up when she saw her best friend in one piece; it'd been an emotionally high-strung evening. Quinn was allowed one over night guest and though Judy was worried she couldn't trust her daughter with anyone else but Rachel. The injured blonde had quickly drifted back to sleep exhausted after they left, but Rachel couldn't find it in herself to calm down. She'd been so tense. She felt as though she should be relieved, but now her thoughts were controlling her.

"What are you thinking about?" Quinn asked quietly, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.

"When did you wake up?" She asked, walking away from the rain stained window she was peering out of.

"A little while ago," the blonde answered, readjusting in her hospital bed slowly. "Is it less creepy if I say I was admiring your beauty rather than watching you?" Rachel shook her head slowly as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, it was a long shot."

"Have you put much thought into this?" The brunette asked as she gestured between them.

"Of course I have, I told you you were all I thought about over the summer—"

"I know what you've said, Quinn, but have you really thought about what us being together means?" Rachel interrupted starting to sound a bit annoyed.

"Where is this coming from?" she questioned with sad eyes. Rachel sighed and turned away to the window again.

"I was so worried about you tonight, I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest… Do you get that?"

"I didn't mean to scare you…" Quinn tried to calm her.

"No, I don't think you get it. I've never felt so panicked ever. Panic isn't really the Rachel Berry way, but then again neither is spontaneity. And that is what all of this seems, spontaneous. This wasn't supposed to happen, do you understand that? We weren't supposed to be friends, let alone romantically involved!" Quinn stifled a giggle over the diva's word choice. "Do you think this is funny? Because I don't think it is. Is this simple to you? Some high school fling? Am I going to be another one of your mistakes?"

"Ouch." The girl sat in silence. "Rach," she treaded lightly, "we are just getting into this…"

"_Exactly_, Quinn. This is Rachel Berry you are dealing with. I'm not Puck or even Santana. My emotions can't be thrown aside. I'm not Sam or dopey Finn. I'm a handful. I am emotions, and dreams, and excessive planning! We've only been together for like a day and I'm already _this_ upset. Give it a week and I'll be planning our wedding. I'm overzealous and I fall hard. And with you it feels worse than ever. I'm not sure I can come back from this. So if you aren't all in it, if this is just _spontaneous_ for you, then can we just not?"

"Winter, please."

"Winter what?" Rachel asked exasperated.

"I've always wanted a winter wedding, keep it in mind next week…" Quinn smiled.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY, QUINN!" the brunette yelled.

"Will you keep your voice down? I'm not _trying_ to be funny, Rachel. I am trying to show you that I'm all in. So will you just come here!" She commanded as she scooted over on the hospital bed. Rachel approached her slowly with full on puppy dog eyes. As the girl sat down Quinn wrapped her good arm around her waste and pulled her in close. "Why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away already?" She whispered.

"I'm scared…"

"Me too."

"I was afraid I'd never see you again, but then almost worse than that I was afraid you'd lose your short term memory. What if I got to the hospital and you didn't remember what had happened the last few months?" A single tear escaped the soft brown eyes. "Now that I've had you, I can't go back…"

"Rachel, I think I've always liked you, as messed up as that is. There is no way I could ever forget what has happened, the way your lips feel, the way your heart beats when I hold you, and the way you smile when we're together. You save a smile just for me."

"But what if…"

"There is no what if with us, babe. We're a sure thing." Quinn placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. "You're pretty crazy, you know that right? You aren't worried about my health, just that I'd forget about you," she chuckled.

"It's not like that I just—"

"I'm kidding, okay? Can you just lay with me for a while? I'm exhausted and my head hurts." The blonde pleaded. "Your overzealous planning self is making my head spin!"

"Yeah, we should get some sleep, the sun is starting to rise…" Rachel's statement began trailing off amongst a large yawn. "I'm afraid I'll hurt you if I move though."

"You're good on this side, come here," Quinn assured her and pulled her closer with what little strength she had. As they laid the bed back some they tangled their legs together and Rachel draped her arm over the other girl's stomach. "This isn't exactly how I imagined our date ending."

"Really? Because in your arms is how I always imagine my nights ending," she sighed.

"Whoa, Miss Sweettalker," Quinn giggled.

"I really like you, Quinn," Rachel stated making eye contact with the girl in the hospital bed next to her.

"I really like _you_," she smiled, "how'd I get so lucky?"

"You're never driving again…"


	22. Chapter 22

AN: It really has been ages. I'm sorry! I just wasn't exactly inspired. I like this though. Enjoy!

"Berry, you know I can't chase after you right now…" Quinn sighed as she squeezed her way through the crowded hallway. This wasn't as easy as it sounded because her left arm was in a sling.

"Then don't chase after me, _Fabray_," Rachel spat back as she walked up to her locker, unlocking it and tossing her books into it.

"Can we not do this here, babe," the blonde said quietly over the girl's shoulder into her ear. "I'm trying _really _hard, okay? Things are tough right now," her eyes glazing over looking something similar to glass.

Rachel sighed and shifted her eyes towards her girlfriend; she looked kind of pathetic in a cute way. She still had to wear a bandage on her forehead and her arm was still in a sling from the car accident. The brunette slowly pulled two books out of the other girl's "good" arm (as they'd come accustomed to calling it lately) and put them in the locker. "Do you want to just share a locker?" She offered with a smile.

Quinn gasped, "Rachel, are you trying to move in with me?"

"I'm trying to move my books in with yours, yes."

"Even though that is moving a little fast, I'd love to." Both girls giggled. "I wish I could kiss you right now," Quinn whispered.

"Likewise," Rachel grinned widely. "Later, I promise," she offered with a wink.

"So we're okay then?" the blonde asked.

"For now, but we will be discussing the problem later." She crossed her arms.

"Don't you think calling it 'the problem' is a little dramatic for the fact that I don't particularly like West Side Story?" Quinn giggled but quickly stopped when she saw the unamused look on the diva's face. "Huge problem, right. We can discuss it at great lengths later, I promise! I hope you can find it in your heart to still keep me around…" She said dramatically.

"Hey, love birds," the girls heard from behind them turning to see Santana standing with a smirk on her face. "Jeez, Q, you look just rough."

"Thanks, Santana," Quinn smirked knowing the girl was just trying to get to her. "Where is your better half?" She asked then turning to Rachel, "emphasis on better." The tiny brunette snickered lightly with a beaming grin.

As the two girls went back and forth about god knows what Rachel found herself lost in her own thoughts. _Quinn is so very beautiful and I'm not sure how this all happened still. She's funny, talented, gorgeous, and smart; I don't know how I didn't see it before… Or did I?_

"Rachel!" Quinn nudged her.

"Huh?" The brunette gazed back at her trying to regain her attention with the two girls.

"For someone who gives me such crap about not paying attention you sure are off in your own Rachel sized world…" She joked.

"Yeah, Berry! You are going to hurt Quinnie's poor little feelings!" Santana laughed as she gave the blonde's hair a nice rustle.

"I'm sorry, baby," Rachel said with honest eyes.

"Oh gag me, I'm out of here," the cheerleader mocked and walked away promptly.

"At least you know how to get rid of her," Quinn chuckled. "Did you get everything you needed?"

"Yeah, I did," the diva answered as she saw her girlfriend struggling to balance her books and close the door. "I'm an absolute failure, let me help you with that." Rachel grabbed the books from Quinn's arm and closed the locker door with the other muttering something under her breath about worst girlfriend awards.

"You really don't have to do that, Rach, I could have gotten it," Quinn sighed. She appreciated her girlfriend's help but it made her feel a little helpless at the same time.

"I know you could have, I know you want to, but please just accept a little help. I worry about you," she gave her best puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, but only because you're so cute," Quinn readjusted the straps on her shoulder to the sling awkwardly. It was hard to not show affection in public because she desperately wanted to. The last few days had really catapulted their relationship to a new level. With Quinn being hurt Rachel had been there to take care of her the whole time. It only made their passion for one another intensify. Not only was the romance evolving but their underlying friendship. They both genuinely enjoyed each others company.

"Hey, Quinn," she heard a tentative voice turning to find Finn standing behind them. "Rachel," he said with a nod.

"May we help you, Finn?" Rachel asked taking a defensive step forward between her girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. Her life really was dramatic.

"Well, um, I was just wanting to tell Quinn that I hope she feels better and I was worried about her." He had his eyes trained on the brunette before shifting his weight and looking to Quinn, "really, I was…"

"I appreciate that, _we _do," Quinn made a point to exaggerate the "we."

"You guys kind of do make a good team the more I think of it, it is a shame it took so long for it to happen," he laughed lightly pointing between the two girls.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh along with him and smile. It was true; they worked well like a balancing act. Her girlfriend seemed less than amused by the look Finn was giving the brunette as they laughed together however. Realizing this she cleared her throat and put her hand on the small of Quinn's back. "Well, Finn, we really should get going. She has a lot of make up work she has to pick up still beyond just these books," gesturing to the stack she was carrying.

"What are you, her backpack?" He scoffed lightly.

"Excuse me?" Quinn's eyes narrowing and sizing him up what little she could. Normally she could look pretty intimidating with just about anyone, but with her arm in a sling it kind of took away from it.

"Woah, just kidding…" He took a step back, "alright, I'm out of here. Feel better."

Once he was out of earshot Rachel leaned towards the injured girl, "did you really have to be so defensive?"

"Can you blame me? All the shots he's been taking at me lately, I just don't trust him anymore. He hurt my feelings," she admitted. Quinn shook her head blaming the pain medicine for making her so vulnerable. "Why are you defending him anyway?"

"Calm down, babe, I'm not. I just don't want you over doing it, you've only been out of the hospital not even a week." She reasoned while lightly running her fingers over a cut her girlfriend had on her chin. Rachel glanced around to see that the attention of the hallway was elsewhere, and then she casually brought her fingers to her lips and kissed the tips. Her lips curved into a slight smile as she then placed her fingers over the cut on Quinn's chin. The blonde's face mirrored that of the smiley brunette in front of her.

"I like you."

"Oh do you?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Very much so!" Quinn answered.

"Just a little or…"

"A lot, a ton, and so on!" Quinn laughed.

"Must be the pain medicine," she reasoned. They both laughed as the blonde slapped her lightly on the shoulder with her "good" arm. "Okay, let's get to class."


End file.
